Mental Health Noticeboard Ideas for Schools: 25 Wellbeing Displays
Mental Health Noticeboard Ideas for Schools
A wellbeing display will not fix everything, but it makes mental health visible, normal to talk about, and easier to get help with. Here are twenty-five mental health noticeboard ideas for schools, grouped by what they set out to do, plus the displays pupils actually engage with and where to point them for support.
Mental health is part of everyday school life. A wellbeing display tells pupils that how they feel matters, that struggling is normal, and that help is close by. Done well, it turns a quiet wall into a first step towards support.
Why Mental Health Displays Matter in Schools
The scale of need in schools is the reason these displays earn their wall space. The figures below come from NHS England's national surveys of children, young people and young adults.
children and young people aged 8 to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023.
the rate has risen sharply, from 1 in 9 children in 2017 to 1 in 5 in 2023.
young adults aged 16 to 24 had a common mental health condition such as anxiety in 2023/24 (25.8%).
Sources: NHS England, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023 and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24.
What Makes a Wellbeing Display Work?
From school wellbeing display discussions and the experience of teachers and wellbeing leads, the displays pupils notice most are interactive, pupil-led and regularly refreshed. The ones that become wallpaper tend to be dense, static and full of slogans. Keep the first kind in mind as you read the ideas below.
What pupils engage with
- Interactive displays they can add to
- Pupil voice and pupil-made content
- Real, named people they can talk to
- One clear, simple action
- Calm, uncluttered design
What tends to get ignored
- Dense text and posters that never change
- Vague slogans with no next step
- Displays that talk at pupils, not with them
- Out-of-date information
- Cluttered boards with no focus
Worry Wall and Talking Display Ideas
These displays make it easier to name a feeling and ask for help, the hardest first step for many pupils.
Kindness Board and Connection Display Ideas
Belonging protects wellbeing. These displays build connection and make kindness visible across the school.
- Kindness board. Pupils share acts of kindness they have done or noticed around school.
- Compliment wall. A space to leave a kind, anonymous note for someone else to find.
- Gratitude tree. Leaves or notes where pupils add one thing they are grateful for.
- Friendship and belonging. Celebrating clubs, buddies and the many ways to belong.
- Acts of kindness challenge. A weekly challenge with one simple, kind action to try.
Mindfulness Corner and Calm Display Ideas
These give pupils healthy, practical ways to settle when things feel like too much.
A calm space with breathing exercises and gentle grounding prompts.
A simple visual breathing exercise pupils can follow with a finger.
A gentle technique using sight, sound, touch, smell and taste to feel calmer.
Healthy ways to settle, such as breathing, a short walk, talking, or music.
Friendly tips on sleep, screen time and winding down at the end of the day.
Exam Stress Support Display Ideas
Exam periods are a recognised pressure point for young people. NHS England notes that many young people struggle with exam pressure and that mental health difficulties such as anxiety can become worse during exam season. That is why many schools set up temporary wellbeing displays and support areas during exam season, putting support and perspective where pupils will see them.
students aged 16 to 18 received NHS support in 2025 for issues such as anxiety and sleep difficulties that can be made worse by exams.
Support Contacts Board: Where Pupils Can Get Help
Every wellbeing display should make the next step obvious. A support contacts board keeps trusted help visible all year, not just during an awareness week. Keep it on a board you can lock, so the details stay correct.
Your Designated Safeguarding Lead, school counsellor, or pastoral and mental health lead are the first people to talk to in school.
Around the board, add three more ideas: a who to talk to in school panel naming real pastoral staff; online and out-of-hours support such as Kooth or The Mix that pupils can use any time; and QR codes to trusted help linking to reputable sites and the school's own wellbeing page. Refresh it for Children's Mental Health Week each February, but keep the core contacts up all year.
Most of these displays change often, so open felt or cork noticeboards work best for pinning and refreshing pupil content. For the support contacts board, a lockable noticeboard keeps the helplines and staff names correct and in place.
Run your board against these six essentials. Tap each one you already have in place to see how it measures up.
See how schools put these displays into practice. Scroll through the examples below.
A wellbeing board that brings a feelings check-in together with clear support resources, so pupils can name how they feel and see where to get help.
A worry wall paired with a private ask for help box and visible support contacts, making it easier for pupils to share a worry and reach a trusted adult.
A need to talk noticeboard with simple advice and named people to speak to, helping to make asking for help feel normal.
A pupil-led wall in the library where students add their own notes and positive messages, building connection and a sense of belonging.
A kindness board with a gratitude tree, where pupils share acts of kindness and something they are grateful for, keeping kindness visible across the school.
A calm corner with breathing exercises and sensory resources, giving pupils healthy, practical ways to settle when things feel like too much.
Displaysense supplies felt, cork, lockable and combination noticeboards to UK schools, with free UK mainland delivery and purchase orders on 30-day credit terms.
Mental health is part of everyday school life, and a wellbeing display makes it visible and help easy to find. Cover the five jobs: helping pupils talk and share worries, building kindness and connection, offering calm and mindfulness, supporting them through exams, and showing clearly where to get help. Keep the displays interactive, pupil-led and current, since that is what pupils engage with, and put the support contacts board on a lockable board so the helplines and staff names always stay correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be on a school mental health noticeboard?
What is a worry wall in a school?
What wellbeing displays do pupils actually engage with?
How can a noticeboard help with exam stress?
Where can pupils get mental health help?
Sources and a note. Statistics in this guide come from NHS England's Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023 and Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24 and NHS England's 2025 exam-season support figures; Children's Mental Health Week is run by Place2Be. This is a sensitive topic: if a pupil is at immediate risk, follow your school's safeguarding procedures, and for support contact Childline on 0800 1111 or the Samaritans on 116 123.
What to show, from DSL contacts to reporting routes and online safety.
Choosing the right channels to reach parents, pupils and staff.
Match the right board to its use, location and who needs access.
More in this series: Fire resistant boards · Corridor boards · Attendance displays · Reception ideas · Reception best practice · British values displays
