Mental fitness could be taught in Australian schools alongside traditional subjects under a growing push to give children the emotional skills needed to handle life’s challenges.
Gus Worland, founder of the Gotcha4Life Foundation, said mental fitness should become a permanent part of the school day rather than an occasional wellbeing session.
“Let’s make mental fitness a subject in schools because there’s plenty of subjects that are just ticking the box now for you to get through school,” he told The Morning Show.
The campaign comes as expressions of interest open for the 2027 intake of Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Schools programme, a three-year initiative currently running in more than 60 Australian primary schools.
The programme works with pupils, teachers and families to establish a shared language around mental health and build practical habits into everyday school life. Gotcha4Life says onboarding for the 2027 intake will begin in the final term of 2026, with full delivery starting in Term 1 next year.
Building mental fitness across the school community
Worland said early intervention was vital, citing the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which states that half of all mental health challenges emerge before the age of 14.
“That’s incredibly concerning … they haven’t got the emotional muscle to really talk about it,” he said.
“So, if you’re not quite sure what to do, you stop, and you freeze, and you go, ‘I hope someone changes the subject’ and you move on.”
Each participating school is supported by a dedicated Mental Fitness Educator for three years. The educator works with pupils, staff, parents and carers, helping schools incorporate the programme into existing professional learning and curriculum requirements.
The approach focuses on emotional adaptability, social connectedness and help-seeking behaviour. It is designed to support schools in developing long-term capability, rather than leaving teachers to deliver a stand-alone set of lessons.
“You don’t want it to be something that pops in every now and again,” Worland said.
“You want to be in the school and invested in the school and not just with the kids. You want to do it for the teachers and also the parents.”
He said involving families was important to ensure the lessons children learned at school were reinforced at home.
“Little ones are sponges. They love it. They get excited by it,” he said.
“The teachers get excited by it as well because they don’t have to teach it. Then parents, they need to come on board too because we don’t want when they come home for it all to fall apart.”
Early evaluation findings from the programme suggest the whole-school model is having an impact after its first year. Some 93 per cent of surveyed teachers identified new opportunities to practise mental fitness in their classrooms, while 92 per cent of students understood the role of connection and belonging.
Ninety per cent of parents surveyed said they felt better equipped to support their child’s mental fitness at home.
A teacher from Plumpton Public School said the programme helped remove stigma and encouraged pupils and staff to speak openly about their emotions.
“It promotes open conversations among staff and students, with the knowledge that every feeling is completely normal and it helps students to then realise their feelings are OK and express them,” the teacher said.
Regional NSW schools offered funded places
The NSW Department of Education and NSW Ministry of Health are jointly funding places for 20 regional primary schools to join the programme.
Ten schools in the Central West and a further 10 in the South Coast and Illawarra regions are due to take part in the three-year partnership, helping extend the initiative beyond metropolitan areas.
NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said the expansion would give more children, parents and teachers access to preventative support and a common way of discussing mental health.
Gotcha4Life says eligible schools can participate at no cost, with funding provided through its partners, donors and supporters. Primary school principals and school leaders can register their interest for the 2027 programme.
Worland said the response from participating communities showed that many schools wanted mental fitness to become a lasting part of children’s education.
“When the kids come up to me and they’re singing their mental fitness song … it gives a real positive vibe and culture for the school,” he said.
