A MAJOR new study will see nearly 6,000 schoolchildren take part in a trial to test whether mindfulness training can improve their mental health.

Mindfulness - described by the NHS as paying more attention to the present moment and to your thoughts, feelings and the world around you - has become a popular and effective technique in preventing depression and promoting mental health in adults.

The three-part study, which will be carried out by teams at universities including Oxford, includes the first large randomised control trial of mindfulness training compared with "teaching as usual", and will involve students aged 11 to 14 at 76 schools.

It aims to build young people's resilience to see if this will help prevent mental illness developing.

The £6.4 million research programme will be carried out by teams at the University of Oxford, University College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, over seven years.

The trial will see 38 schools train pupils in mindfulness and 38 schools act as a "control", teaching standard personal, health and social education lessons.

It's expected to begin late next year and will run for five years, including a follow-up period of two years for each student.

Willem Kuyken, professor in clinical psychology at the University of Oxford, said: "Mindfulness is a form of 'mind exercise' as it's a way that we can improve our mental health.

"Just as brushing your teeth or going for a run are well known ways of protecting general physical health, mindfulness exercises develop mental fitness and resilience.

"What this project is trying to establish is whether teaching teenagers mindfulness techniques can improve their attention and resilience, two key skills for maintaining good mental health.

"We are interested in the full range of outcomes, including social relationships, school attendance and attainment, as well at teacher well-being and school culture."