Around 2,000 young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will benefit from improved mental health education thanks to a grant from the Isle of Man Freemasons.

The £26,800 grant has been awarded to the charity Isle Listen to help expand its school-based mental health programme. The funding will be used to create inclusive resources for primary and secondary schools, tailored to the needs of children with SEND.

According to Isle Listen, around 20 per cent of the island’s 14,000 school-aged children are on the special educational needs register. Research shows young people with SEND are up to six times more likely to experience mental health difficulties than their peers, but those issues are often harder to identify and treat.

The new resources aim to help children better understand and express their emotions, develop coping strategies, and know when and how to seek support.

Over the next academic year, Isle Listen will work with schools, Special Educational Needs Coordinators and the Department of Education to adapt its existing curriculum. The Freemasons’ grant will support the development of SEND-specific lesson activities covering topics such as self-esteem, exam stress, social media use and emotional safety.

The resources will also be available to Isle Listen’s therapeutic team to support young people and their families.

Rebecca Macnair, education lead at Isle Listen, said: ‘We’re incredibly grateful to the Isle of Man Freemasons for supporting this project. Every young person deserves the chance to understand and manage their mental health, and this funding will allow us to make sure those with additional needs can access resources that truly meet their needs.’

Head of the Isle of Man Freemasons, Martin Blackburn, said: ‘I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Isle Listen with their hugely important project helping local children with special educational needs.’