Mental Health Primary School Offer

Oxfordshire County Council is seeking a provider to deliver an early mental health prevention offer for primary school-aged children and their families across Oxfordshire.

The service will focus on building the confidence and capability of school staff to lead mental wellbeing sessions for children, using appropriate language and techniques as part of a whole-school approach to mental health.

A professional development programme will be provided for school staff, alongside ongoing support designed to help schools embed the approach throughout their curriculum.

The Council anticipates that the contract will begin on 4 January 2027 and run for an initial three-year period, with the option to extend by up to a further 12 months.

The opportunity has been identified as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

Contract Information

Buyer: Oxfordshire County Council

Deadline: 5 October 2026, 12:00pm

Enquiry Deadline: 23 September 2026, 11:59pm

Contract Value: £800,000 excluding VAT (£960,000 including VAT)

Delivery Length: 4 January 2027 to 3 January 2030, with the option to extend by up to 12 months to 3 January 2031.

Reference: DN827120

Tender Link: South East Business Portal

The Council has set a maximum budget of £200,000 excluding VAT for each contract year. Any tender exceeding £200,000 excluding VAT in any individual contract year will be considered non-compliant.

Service Requirements

The commissioned service will provide an early mental health prevention offer for primary school-aged children and their families.

Its focus will include developing school staff so they have the confidence to deliver mental wellbeing sessions using suitable techniques and language. The approach will include professional development for staff and continued support to help embed mental health and wellbeing throughout the school curriculum.

The procurement is classified under specialist training services and health training services.

Evaluation Criteria

Tender responses will be evaluated on:

• Quality: 75%
• Price: 25%

The quality assessment will consider:

• Mobilisation
• Service Model
• Working in partnership
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Service improvement and innovation
• Social Value

The Council will assess responses through three stages. Stage 1 will consider mandatory and discretionary exclusion criteria. Stage 2 will evaluate quality, social value and price. The third stage will assess the economic and financial standing of the most advantageous tenderer.

The procurement is being conducted under a Competitive Flexible Procedure and the Light Touch regime.

Significance for the Sector

The opportunity provides organisations working across children’s mental health, preventative services and specialist training with the chance to support a whole-school approach to mental wellbeing across Oxfordshire’s primary school settings.

With a focus on developing the skills of school staff and embedding mental wellbeing into the curriculum, the commissioned service will support earlier preventative approaches for primary school-aged children and their families.

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