Wellbeing and Pastoral Care

YoungMinds define mental health and wellbeing in young people as:

“The strength and capacity of our minds to grow and develop, to be able to overcome difficulties and challenges, and to make the most of our abilities and opportunities.”

Often when we talk about mental health, people immediately think of the negative aspects of certain mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety or self-harm. But we all have mental health and wellbeing: it is on a spectrum. Just like physical health, people can have good mental health or have problems that they need help to overcome and this can be different from one day to the next.

There are lots of ways for students to get help for their mental health and wellbeing at school and to get involved with wellbeing activities. Our mental health strategy is all about building the tools to:

• look after ourselves,
• to look after each other
• and to seek help when we need it.

Although other people can support us to be happy and healthy, we have the best chance of being able to stay happy throughout our time in school if we learn how to take responsibility for our own wellbeing. For students – there is a PSHEE block on healthy minds in the Autumn term, lots of information about this on the Pastoral Hub on our Sharepoint and regular student wellbeing drop ins advertised in the student bulletin.

If you would like some more information on self-care to support your child, please contact a member of the SEMH Team – SEMH stands for Social Emotional and Mental Health.

The SEMH Team

We are proud to have a SEMH Team in school. The SEMH Team is led by Miss Cook and is made up of a team of staff as well as Student Wellbeing Leaders. We are always developing our wellbeing provision in school so any students with ideas are encouraged to speak to a member of the team.

Miss Cook – Director of Pastoral KS3 and Senior Mental Health Lead

Miss Cook leads the mental health agenda in school, is our Young Carers lead and supports students one to one as well as running Seasons for Growth bereavement groups and Mindfulness groups.

Miss Marley – Wellbeing Intervention Manager

Miss Marley supports our students for one to one sessions and small groups in school. She is our Young Carers operational lead and supports Children In Our Care.

Miss Pearcy – School Counsellor

Miss Pearcy supports students for one to one counselling sessions in school.

Miss Axon and Miss Kirkbright – Drawing and Talking

Drawing and Talking sessions are offered on a one to one or small group basis.

Miss Ringrow – ELSA

Miss Ringrow is one our pastoral managers, training to deliver ELSA in school, supporting students on a one to one basis in emotional literacy skills.

Miss Howarth – ELSA and Rest and Recharge

Miss Howarth supports Elements students with ELSA and offers a yoga therapy to small groups.

Hannah Underhill – EMHP

Hannah is an Education Mental Health Practitioner from the Stockport Mental Health Support Team. She joins us every Wednesday to support students with early intervention mental health support.

Supporting Our Student

In school we are proud to have a team of student Wellbeing Leaders who volunteer to support students and whole school wellbeing activities in school such as Children’s Mental Health Awareness week. This is a student leadership opportunity that is supported by staff. They receive training to support students and have led fundraising activities, contributed to student information leaflets and display boards. You can spot them around school as they wear a Wellbeing badge on their blazers. Students interested in becoming a Wellbeing Leader should speak to Miss Kirkbright.

Supporting Our Students

Sometimes students need extra support in school, from one to one sessions, to groups, to external agencies that come into school to support students. Some more information about some of the groups we run in school is below alongside some of the agencies that come in to support our students with their health and wellbeing for example, our School Nursing Team and Signpost who support our Young Carers. If you think your child needs help, please speak to their Form Tutor, Pastoral Manager, Head of Year or any of the SEMH Team. If your child is accessing support for their mental health or wellbeing for example through CAMHS, Secondary Jigsaw or private therapy, it is useful to let the school know so that we can support as appropriate.

Young Carers

A ‘Young Carer’ is a child or young adult who spends time looking after or helping a member of their family who, because of an illness or disability, mental health problem or drug and alcohol issue is unable to take care of everyday tasks themselves without some help. The help you give could be shopping, making meals, doing the laundry, or perhaps you help out with nursing care, e.g. giving medication or lifting someone up and downstairs or in and out of bed. Maybe you give your time just to be with someone when they need company.

How many young carers are there?

• There are about 700,000 young carers in the UK
• That’s about 1 in 12 secondary aged pupils
• There are likely to be young carers in every school and college.

What might a young carer do?

• Practical tasks, such as cooking, housework and shopping
• Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed
• Emotional support, such as talking to someone who is distressed
• Personal care, such as helping someone dress
• Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions
• Helping to give medicine
• Helping someone communicate
• Looking after brothers and sisters.

Being a young carer can have a big impact on the things that are important to growing up. It can affect a young person’s health, social life and self-confidence. Many young carers struggle to juggle their education and caring which can cause pressure and stress.

• In a survey, 39% said that nobody in their school was aware of their caring role
• 26% have been bullied at school because of their caring role
• 1 in 20 miss school because of their caring role.

But young people can learn lots of useful skills by being a young carer.

If you think you or someone you know at school is a young carer, please tell your child’s form tutor, their year team or anyone from the SEMH Team in school.

Our Young Carers are supported in school by our Senior Designated Lead for Young Carers, our Operational Lead for Young Carers, our SEMH Team and Signpost Young Carers. We hold half termly group meet ups for young carers in school and can refer for individual support from Signpost Young Carers in school if students need additional support.

Help and Resources

There are some useful websites for support here. If there are any issues you need specific further help or resources for, please contact a member of the SEMH team.