A primary school has enlisted the help of mental health experts after discovering evidence of self-harming among its pupils.

Harrietsham Primary School, which caters for children aged four to 11, is the first in Kent to call on charity Mind to help parents and teachers deal with the issue.

It has also received National Lottery funding to train staff in how to identify whether a child is at risk of self harming or having a suicidal episode.

James Walker, project manager at Maidstone and Mid Kent Mind, said: “We mostly work with secondary schools in Kent and even Essex, but Harrietsham was the first primary school to contact us.

“When we arrived we noticed some children were anxious about moving to secondary school, which is quite common.

“As we spent more time, we discovered evidence of pupils harming themselves.”

So far two teachers have been given the mental health training, thanks to a £8,650 grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All programme, and 18 members of staff are set to receive it in total. Parents and governors will also attend a mental health awareness course in the new year.

Mr Walker added: “Recently there’s been an explosion in young people’s mental health, I’d say we spend about 30% of our time going into schools providing support.

“Working with parents on awareness courses helps provide the best environment at home for children.”

Pupils at the West Street primary school are currently taking part in a series of courses, focusing on anger management, tackling anxiety and building resilience and self esteem.

Linda Oliver, head teacher, said: “We are extremely proud to be the first primary school in Kent to receive lottery funding to support children’s mental health and build their resilience.

“It is so important that we are able to identify children who are at risk of mental ill-health and to intervene early.

“Children need the skills to be able to talk about their feelings and to help them deal with problems that might emerge later in life.

“It is essential that we are better supporting pupils with mental health challenges and improving their well being in order for them to reach their full potential.

"This [the funding] is not in response to a particular issue with self-harming at Harrietsham Primary School, but rather an opportunity to support the mental wellbeing of all pupils.

"This is a positive news story about the school securing additional funding for that purpose.”