Special needs · Mental health needs

Keep learning going through a hard time

Pencil Spaces helps students with mental health needs keep learning, with flexible lessons, gentle routines, recordings for hard days and safeguarding throughout.

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Area

Social, emotional and mental health

Who it helps

Students with low mood, depression, OCD or other mental health needs, home and hospital teaching teams, tutors, schools and families

What lessons need

Flexibility, low pressure, connection, ways to catch up, safeguarding

In Pencil Spaces

5 features available today, 1 coming soon

Part of

Special needs, need by need

What helps students with mental health needs in an online lesson?

Mental health needs, from low mood and depression to OCD, can make concentration, energy and attendance unpredictable. Lessons help when they’re flexible and low pressure, and connected to a trusted adult.

Lessons that flexScheduling · AvailableMove or shorten lessons around how the student is doing, with the link built in.
Catch up on hard daysSession Recording · AvailableWhen a student can’t make it, they can watch the recording later, under your recording policy.
A written recapLesson Summaries · AvailableAn automatic recap of each lesson, with action items, comes in versions for the student, the parent and the tutor.
Concerns flagged to your teamSafeguarding Alerts · AvailableAfter each lesson, AI reviews speech, chat and direct messages for harassment and safety concerns, and alerts your team.
How they’re feeling todayWellbeing Check-ins · Coming soonWellbeing Check-ins will ask each student how they feel with one tap as they join, so the teacher sees the room before teaching.
Pick up where they left offPersistent Spaces · AvailableEvery board, note and drawing stays in the Space between lessons, so each lesson picks up where the last one ended.

The features behind it

Why can online lessons be hard for students with mental health needs?

Mental health needs rarely follow a timetable. A student may manage a full lesson one week and nothing the next, then fall further behind and feel worse about it.

Distress can also go unseen online. A teacher sees a face in a small tile and may not notice that a student is struggling.

What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?

A student recovering from depression has short lessons three times a week. On a bad day, she messages that she can’t make it, and watches the recording later.

Next lesson, the board is exactly as she left it. Her tutor starts with a check-in, then picks up from there.

How do therapists use Pencil Spaces with students with mental health needs?

School counselors, social workers and psychologists use Pencil Spaces for individual counseling and skills groups. That includes students with identified emotional disabilities and students going through hard life events, such as bullying or a family change.

Recording can be turned off for counseling, and the Waiting Room keeps each student’s time private. Counselors follow their own crisis protocols alongside, and can share the plan with families through Lesson Summaries.

Tips for teaching students with mental health needs online

Keep lessons short and flexible, and make catching up easy.
Start with connection, and lower demands on hard days.
Know your safeguarding policy and who to tell if you’re worried.
Work with the family, the school and any health professionals involved.
Praise showing up. It counts.

Good to know

Wellbeing Check-ins are coming soon. Pencil Spaces is a classroom, not a mental health service. If you’re worried a student may be at risk, follow your safeguarding policy straight away.

Questions people ask

Can students with mental health needs keep learning online?

Many can, with flexible, low-pressure lessons. Pencil Spaces lets programs schedule around the student and record lessons for catch-up. Work stays in the Space between lessons, and safety concerns are flagged to the right staff.

How does Pencil Spaces help spot a student in difficulty?

After each lesson, Safeguarding Alerts use AI to review speech, chat and direct messages for harassment and safety concerns, and alert your team. Wellbeing Check-ins, coming soon, will add a one-tap mood check as students join.

Can a student catch up on lessons they miss?

Yes, if the program records lessons. Students can watch recordings in Pencil Spaces, pausing and rewinding, and lesson summaries set out what was covered. Boards stay in the Space for the next lesson.

Does Pencil Spaces work for home and hospital teaching?

Yes. Lessons run in the browser on a laptop, tablet or phone, from home or a hospital bed, and they’re easy to move when plans change. Bemorefab runs a virtual school this way for children in cancer treatment.