Why mental fitness could become a classroom staple in Australian schools

A growing push to make mental fitness as routine as maths and English in Australian schools is gaining momentum.

Gotcha4Life founder Gus Worland has called for children to be taught the emotional skills needed to navigate life’s challenges, arguing mental fitness deserves a permanent place in schools.

“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 call comes as expressions of interest open for the 2027 intake of Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Schools program, which is already operating in more than 60 schools.

The three-year initiative works with primary school students, teachers and families to embed mental fitness into everyday school life rather than relying on occasional wellbeing sessions.

Worland said teaching those skills early was crucial, with half of all mental health challenges emerging before the age of 14, according to the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

“That’s incredibly concerning ... they haven’t got the emotional muscle to really talk about it,” Worland 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.”

Gotcha4Life will mark its 10th anniversary next year, with Worland aiming to double the number of schools involved in the program by the end of 2027.

“We’re in over 60 schools now, and we want to have 120 schools by the end of next year which allows us to build that emotional muscle for the little ones,” he said.

Each participating school is partnered with a dedicated Mental Fitness Educator for three years, allowing the program to reach children as well as the adults supporting them.

“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.

“So we’re in there for three years, and there’s one facilitator that looks after that particular school, and they talk to the parents, they talk to the teachers and they talk to the kids.”