As a Sixth Form teacher and pastoral lead, over the last few years, I, like most others working in this sector, have seen an increase in the number of students who are facing the challenges of mental health issues and the fear of associated stigma. When they are trying to fit into a new college environment and programme of study, these additional issues can make this especially problematic for students.
Stress and anxiety, panic attacks, problems with body images, eating disorders, self-harm, depression, intrusive and suicidal thoughts (and actions), phobias, OCD and psychosis are illnesses that as many as 1 in 5 students are coping with whilst in the classroom and college environment. Pressure on NHS services means that some of these young people find themselves being told by their GP’s to go back to their college and ask for counselling. Due to a number ofb social, economic and cultural barriers, other young people will not attempt to access external support and make disclosures to their teachers or tutors, which is where this discussion really begins as we find ourselves ‘upskilling’ in order to fill this gap in provision.
Schools and colleges do have a duty of care to promote and support the mental health and wellbeing of their students whilst also providing them with an appropriate level of academic and work ready skills. The funding crisis in Sixth Form Colleges makes this an especially difficult challenge, however counselling provision is just one part of how we are endeavouring to meet the needs of our learners here. We are working towards the Schools Mental Health Award (Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools) which has led to us completing a self-audit along with an ever evolving action plan. I want to use this blog to keep an account of what we as a college are doing for our students and staff whilst collecting evidence for the award.
This is a summary of what we are doing so far:
- The college demonstrates commitment from SLT and the Governing body: reviewing our vision statement and policies and creating a staffing structure that ensures that mental health and wellbeing are embedded throughout.
- Whole staff CPD: internally delivered safeguarding (including mental health) and prevent training is undertaken annually by all staff (key staff are MHFA trained and this is to be rolled out in September 2019). All first aid responders are trained in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks.
- TLA specific CPD: autism and dyslexia training was delivered by outside providers for all teaching and support staff. We hosted a teach meet which was attended by our staff and those from other colleges. One of our team delivered a session on ‘creating a thinking environment’ another speaker focused on cognitive load and retrieval.
- SEND/ALS: we have a dedicated team of staff and facilities to support identified students in lessons, make specific exam access arrangements and provide student spaces, as well as supporting student transition to and from college.
- Designated Safeguarding Lead + Welfare support: we have a manager whose role includes providing 121 support for students facing a range of safeguarding issues including mental health and wellbeing. She works closely with families and outside agencies, and makes student referrals to our college counsellor as well as supporting students living independently.
- The Schools’ teams and tutorial programme: we have created schemes of work, lesson plans and resources for differentiated tutorial sessions delivered on: building resilience, reflecting on your own mental health, reducing stigma, mindfulness, how to maintain mental wellbeing, revision and exam stress, independent living, healthy relationships, budgeting and finance, employability and moving on (amongst other things).
- Across college events: mental health week, 10/10 event, creation of the students’ interview with an ex offender on knife crime which is shared nationally by the police, drug awareness, police events, involvement in national prevent events.
- Easy access to support and spaces: we currently share student support arrangement with students through induction assemblies and tutorials, notice boards, electronic notice boards, in term assemblies and tutorials. We have created a ‘quiet room’ that is shared with individual students as they need it, and we are updating the college website with links to external support organisations. In September we will lead a group of students to create a Mental Health App with links to organisations that students can have on their phones.
- Enrichment activities: The Schools’ teams currently run an LGBT group, BME group, art therapy sessions, football, basketball, table tennis, gym, badminton, horse riding, charity group, trips and events group, chess club, college magazine, anime, student led mental health group, philosophy and film club and there will be more opportunities for students to lead their own enrichment groups from September 2019.
- There is also a staff wellbeing committee who put on a range of activities and events throughout the year in support of staff mental health and wellbeing and in acknowledgement of the impact staff wellbeing has on our ability to work effectively with students.
Su's blog 