Mrs Manchaud-Green – Head of Lower School
Mrs S Parker – Head of Year
Mr L Webster- Head of Year
Miss J Schweitzer – Head of Year
Miss J Donner – Pastoral Support
Mrs S Hyder – Pastoral Support Officer
Wellbeing
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Letter from the Wellbeing Lead
As you will be aware, the school is committed to continuing to support all members of our school community with promoting positive mental health and wellbeing initiatives at all opportunities. I want to take this opportunity to reassure you that we are here to support you should you feel that you are encountering any difficulties – we are committed to promoting the positive mental health and wellbeing of each and every one of our students and staff. Should you find yourselves in need of support, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please find contact details below:
Lower School: Mrs Hyder sue.hyder@sjwms.latrust.org.uk / Miss J Donner jayne.donner@sjwms.latrust.org.uk
Middle School: Mrs Ross karen.ross@sjwms.latrust.org.uk / Mrs K Bowes katie.bowes@sjwms.latrust.org.uk
Sixth Form: Mrs Jennings francesca.jennings@sjwms.latrust.org.uk / Miss T Auletta trudi.auletta@sjwms.latrust.org.uk
Wellbeing Lead: Ms Gibson gibsona@sjwms.latrust.org.uk
Kind Regards,
Ms A Gibson | Assistant Principal and Wellbeing Lead
SEN and Wellbeing Surgeries
Each term there is an opportunity for you to meet with the SEN team and the Wellbeing lead to discuss any concerns you may have. These are drop in sessions and do not require an appointment. Please see Mr Bindon for SEN related concerns and Ms Gibson for Wellbeing concerns.
SEN & Wellbeing Parental Drop In 15:15-16:15
- Wed 8th Oct
- Wed 10th Dec
- Wed 4th Feb
- Wed 22nd April
- Wed 12th May
- Wed 7th July
Wellbeing Statement
SJWMS Aim
The school is committed to supporting pupils with recognised mental health conditions.
The school is committed to promoting positive mental health and resilience within the school setting in order to allow the pupils to feel safe and have a sense of belonging.
The school will offer continuous professional development to staff to promote early identification of mental health difficulties.
The school will work closely with parents and carers as well as with the pupils themselves when dealing with mental health difficulties.
The school will seek the advice & support of medical professionals & services when severe problems occur.
The school is committed to adopting a ‘whole-school approach’ in regards to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing amongst pupils, staff and parents and establishing various support mechanisms for all.
SJWMS Objectives:
- To identify and provide for pupils who have mental health difficulties.
- To support all pupils in becoming more emotionally resilient and mentally healthy.
- To add pupils who have severe mental health difficulties to the SEN register & identify them as having SEN status.
- To include pupils who have SEN status as a result of their mental health difficulties in the Assess, Plan, Do, Review Process in terms 2, 4 and 6 where appropriate.
- To make sure all staff are offered appropriate training to allow them to recognise and safely support pupils with mental health difficulties.
- To work with pupils and families and make sure the views, wishes and feelings of pupils and their families are always considered.
- To seek advice from the school counsellor, educational psychologist and other medical professionals and services when the mental health needs of an individual pupil become too complex for the school to manage at a pastoral level.
- To have termly Mental Health meetings with all Heads of Year, the SEN and SLT team, and the school counsellor to discuss and review the needs of the pupils in school presenting with Mental Health concerns.
- To provide support to staff through training, CPD and the appraisal and line management system, as well as access to the various in-school support on offer e.g. counsellor.
- To provide support to parents through pastoral support liaison, drop in sessions, training/information evenings and access to external professional agencies.
Who can I talk to in school?
Mr D Coate – Head of Middle School
Mr J Townsend – Head of Year
Mr M Bruford – Head of Year
Mrs K Ross and Mrs K Bowes – Pastoral Support
Mr K Bailey – Head of Sixth Form
Mr C Loizou – Head of Year
Mr S Kay – Head of Year
Mrs F Jennings and Miss T Auletta – Student Services
Mr L Bindon – SENCo
Miss R Robson and Miss J Schweitzer- Deputy SENCos
Learning Support Assistants
Mrs P Florence
Mrs C Wood
Mrs V Lewis
Mrs H Kingham
Mr S Harvey
Mr N Coughlin
Deputy Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr C Morris
Deputy Safeguarding Leads
Ms A Gibson and Mrs R Breach
Provision
Firstly I want to assure you that we take wellbeing extremely seriously at the Math, we are very aware that this period of a young person’s life comes with its own unique challenges and sometimes things can feel a little overwhelming, both for the child and for the parent. Please therefore find below details of the support we have available and details on how to access this support.
Form Tutor One-to-Ones
Each term your child’s form tutor will check in with them on a one to one basis to see how things are going. This gives your child the opportunity to raise any concerns they may have that perhaps they may otherwise not have reported.
Pastoral Team
Each Key Stage has its own Pastoral Team who support students and parents on a daily basis. Please contact the relevant Pastoral Team in the first instance should you have any concerns:
KS3 lowerschool@sjwms.latrust.org.uk – Mrs Hyder and Miss Donner
KS4 middleschool@sjwms.latrust.org.uk – Mrs Ross and Mrs Bowes
KS5 sixthform@sjwms.latrust.org.uk – Mrs Jennings and Miss Auletta
ELSA
Emotional Literacy Support Assistants work in 6 week blocks to support students with a particular difficulty. This involves working towards a goal, it could be linked to managing emotions, workload, dealing with friendship issues etc.
Medway Emotional Support Team
These are NELfT trained practitioners who provide CBT based therapy to help students manage anxiety, phobias or low mood.
Self Harm Ambassadors
Trained members of staff who can support when dealing with self harm.
Counsellors
Face to face counselling sessions with a trained BACP registered counsellor. This is our highest level of support. There is a waiting list for this service and pastoral teams make referrals to Ms Gibson who manages this service based on level of need, not first come first served.
Assemblies
Assemblies are delivered throughout the year to share awareness weeks, remind students of provision and to raise awareness of particular issues including how to manage exam stress, techniques to support with revision and managing workload to name but a few.
Student Workshops
Each year students can sign up for workshops on managing general anxiety and how to cope with exam stress.
Parental Provision
This year we are hoping to broaden our free counselling offer to members of the extended school community. I will write with further information regarding this when this has been confirmed. I will also be in touch regarding some virtual parental workshops.
Parental Well Being Drop Ins
No appointment necessary. This is an opportunity for parents to meet one-to-one with our Senior Mental Health Lead, Ms Gibson and discuss any concerns they may have and seek support. This year sessions take place on the following dates:
Ms Gibson’s office, DaVinci block 15:15-16:15, please sign in at reception
Wed 8th Oct
Wed 10th Dec
Wed 4th Feb
Wed 22nd April
Wed 12th May
Wed 7th July
Should you wish to seek any further support, please contact the relevant pastoral team in the first instance. We look forward to working with your child and your family to raise a young person who is able to realise their full potential and thrive in all aspects of their lives. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further queries or require any assistance.
Wellbeing Award for Schools Success
We are currently working towards recertification in the Wellbeing Award for Schools. We first gained this prestigious accolade in 2019 and we were successfully reaccredited in May 2023. This award helps us to ensure that the provision we provide is as comprehensive as it can be for all members of our school community.
We are continuing to use feedback to develop and improve our provision for wellbeing and mental health at the Math to ensure we have all that is required to support our community in times of need. We very much look forward to working together on next steps and new ways we can secure and build upon our whole school approach to Wellbeing.
Useful Websites
Please find below links to some information, resources and guidance on a range of wellbeing topics. There is a lot of different information in varying formats that will not be suitable for everyone, but certain aspects may be useful to you and your family:
