Well-Being

No-one can be unaware of the mental health difficulties facing young people today.

There can be little doubt that the all-consuming propensity of online contact, the impact of the COVID pandemic, and the pressure of catch-up make the current school-age generation face a level of challenge as great as any preceding cohort.

There is a plethora of data out there to illustrate this point:

  • Almost 1 in 3 teenagers believe their stress levels have gone up and will increased in the coming year
  • Around 1 in 4 13-18 year olds will have an anxiety disorder at one point in their lives
  • Two-thirds of 12-17 year olds have been subjected online abuse
  • Around 20% of teenagers will experience depression before reaching adulthood

Well-Being Interventions

Our school is wholly aware of the significance of our student mental health and well-being and have a range of strategies in place to support their welfare.

Our daily practice reminds us that there have been significant reductions in the level of support available to young people and this has left our school to pick up a greater share of the responsibility for caring for our students. This is a challenge that we are fully committed to meeting.

Student Support

Out Student Support Team are available on site between 8.00am-4.30pm and are the first point of contact or any students experiencing difficulties or problems with which they require support.

Beyond this, we make it clear that any student can approach any member of staff whom they feel comfortable with, though we naturally emphasise that we cannot keep secrets and have to work with colleagues to protect and support their welfare.

PHSE & Focus Weeks

Our PHSE & Focus Week programme addresses a wide range of themes which spread awareness, disseminate guidance, and offer support. This is delivered through tutor times, assemblies, specialist sessions and Year groups specific Drop-Down Days.

This school years sees targeted themes related to Sexual Health, Mental Health, Physical Health, Online Safety, Domestic Violence, Hate Crime Awareness and LGBT Pride.

Mentoring

We provide a range of mentoring programmes for our students which include internal mentors, external counsellors, careers advisors, and business and community mentors.

These qualified mentors offer support both for academic and personal issues and operate strategically under the umbrella of our Inclusion Team.

Specialist Support

Furthermore, we have formed strong partnerships with a range of external professionals who work with our students where required.

These include Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Bereavement Counsellors, T3 Drugs Support, Pathways Domestic Violence Support, etc.

Family Support

Elsewhere, the school has strong relationships with Early Help Teams, local Safeguarding Teams and other district agencies including local medical practitioners and the police.

Recently, the school has set up the Friary Advice Bureau (FAB) which is a one-stop shop for advice on how to access a range of family benefits and support routes.

For more information about how student well-being support, please contact Stacey Walsh, Assistant Headteacher, via office@friary.greywoodmst.co.uk.