Mental Health Primary School Offer

The contract timeline includes a commencement date of January 4, 2027. The initial contract period is three years from this commencement date, with an option to extend for an additional 12 months, making the total potential duration up to four years.

Key milestones and phases are also specified:

• Assessment summaries will be provided to tenderers on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
• The 8-working day standstill commencement and UK6 contract award notice will also occur on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
• The standstill period is set to conclude on Friday, November 11, 2026.
• The contract is expected to be entered into by Friday, November 27, 2026.
• A service mobilisation phase of two months is scheduled for December 2026 and January 2027.
• Service commencement is set for Monday, January 4, 2027.

The core scope of work for this tender is to provide an early mental health prevention offer for primary school-aged children and their families across all Oxfordshire primary schools. The service aims to upskill school staff in mental health, enabling them to confidently lead mental wellbeing sessions for children using appropriate language and techniques, as part of a whole-school approach. This includes a professional development program for school staff and continuous support to integrate the approach into the school curriculum.

The service will be strengths-based, focusing on promoting good emotional literacy through activities and discussions. It will offer guidance, tools, and resources for staff, parents/carers, and children to help them recognize and manage daily emotions. This also involves providing information sessions and educational webinars for children and their families, school staff, and other stakeholders.

Priority for the service will be given based on school information (IMD/location, pupil headcount, readiness to engage), free school meal status, pupil premium received status, and good levels of development and attainment (2.5 years, KS2, and KS4). The service explicitly states that it will not deliver 1-to-1 sessions or treatments, but it may signpost individuals to other appropriate services. Delivery staff, including coordinators, are required to work both in-person in Oxfordshire and provide remote services.

The workforce must consist of appropriately trained and qualified staff to ensure safe, responsive, and efficient service delivery, with training in safeguarding, data protection, and information governance. Service development, content, and improvement must be overseen and developed by staff with appropriate training in Children's psychology and mental wellbeing, ensuring support for those with sensory, communication, or language needs.

Core deliverables include a service delivery report detailing annual progress against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and service development/improvement, along with case studies to be submitted every six months. Regular reporting is also required for evidence that the intervention aligns with and supports other school services and approaches (report and case studies 6-monthly), evidence of co-production and design with children, young people, and other stakeholders (report 6-monthly), evidence of working with research partners for long-term evaluation (report annually), and evidence of appropriately trained and qualified staff (report quarterly).