Mental Health & Wellbeing
At Acle Academy, we strive to ensure all students are supported so that they are able to achieve their full potential. We support the wellbeing of our students both through our curriculum and in our response to concerns.
Our Engage Team is alert to issues of wellbeing and, where possible, works to prevent or pre-empt problems. They know the children in their care very well and are well supported by the Senior Leadership team and Form Tutors, who see the students every day. They are quick to intervene as problems might arise. Our whole school child lead approach is also hugely supportive of students’ wellbeing. We try to make our school as a whole and each individual classroom a safe space where students feel supported and understood. We teach in a student-centred way, allowing space for choice and exploration where possible.
At our disposal, we have a highly experienced and effective pastoral team, with a broad range of specialist knowledge and understanding.
This student-centred team includes:
Miss L. Frary - SENDCo
Mrs. M. Jacotine - Assistant principal for Personal Development
Engage Team
Mrs. S. Kinnarney - Head of Year 7
Ms. I. John - Head of Year 8
Miss S. Nichols - Head of Year 9
Miss K. Jarvis - Head of Year 10
Mrs. C. Perkins - Head of Year 11
Mrs. J. Bryant - Attendance Manager
Inspire Team
Mrs. L. Frary - SENDCo
Ms. J. Swain - Assistant SENDCo
Mrs. K. Thompson - Wellbeing and Medical Needs Assistant
Curriculum
Our Character and Culture curriculum has a clear focus on wellbeing issues. In Year 7, students are supported in transition by beginning with the unit ‘Managing Change’ learning how to adapt to change, manage worries and adopt a positive mind-set. In Year 8, students cover an Emotional Wellbeing Unit understanding the difference between every day and overwhelming feelings, the importance of reaching out to our support network, managing anxious feelings and using mindfulness techniques to overcome the stress response. They also cover a unit on Health where they understand the impact of healthy and unhealthy eating behaviours and the importance of sleep for wellbeing. In Year 9, students cover an Emotional Wellbeing unit where they understand the essential life skills, the importance of positive self-talk and language in framing our emotional health and analysing the impact of social media on positive wellbeing. In Y10 and Y11, students will spend a day off-timetable focusing on emotional wellbeing and covering topics such as healthy coping strategies, emotional literacy, how to develop resilience, the science of anxiety and how to overcome it, how to manage stress and the importance of self-regulation regarding drugs and alcohol. There is a strong focus on encouraging our students to talk with a trusted adult about how they feel, no matter how small it may seem to them, and on understanding that even small changes can make a big difference to our emotional wellbeing.
It is important that children and young adults are encouraged and supported to look after their mental health. We've shared some resources, links and guidance below from a range of mental health organisations offering advice on how you can help your child do this.
Acle Academy is completing the RE:SET programme with Tender Education and Arts!
We're proud to be working in partnership with Tender Education and Arts to deliver RE:SET; an online toolkit which will support Acle Academy in exploring, adapting and resetting our existing Relationships Education across the whole school. The toolkit supports schools like ours to promote healthy, equal and respectful relationships and on completion of the programme we will be awarded with a Healthy Relationships Champion Setting award. This flagship programme is supporting us to continue our commitment to training and supporting staff, working collaboratively with the families and communities around our school as well as delivering inclusive and accessible education for our students. Excitingly we are one of only two schools in Norfolk who have been selected to take part in this programme.
Read more about the project here: https://tenderreset.org.uk/
Resources to Support Mental Health and Wellbeing
One of the most useful websites currently for online advice and support on a range of issues is http://www.justnorfolk.nhs.uk/ The website has a helpline for advice on a range of issues.
• We would also advocate youngminds.org.uk which provides both parents and young adults with tips, advice and guidance on where you can get support for your mental health.
• The Anna Freud National Centre, https://www.annafreud.org/ is an excellent site, which has wellbeing advice for parents and carers, support with how to handle conflicts and disagreements within the home. They also offer direct support, through the AFC Crisis Messenger which is text service that is a free and confidential, it is available 24/7 for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling to cope.
• Finally, we would like to remind you and our students of Kooth. A service commissioned by the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust. It is a free online counselling and emotional well-being service for young people who either live or attend school in the county. It is available for all young people in Norfolk aged 11-25. It provides a safe, secure means of accessing help via the internet from a professional team of counsellors.
Kooth
Kooth is a digital mental health support service for young people aged 11 to 25 where they can access online support from a team of experienced counsellors. Access is free and there are a range of tools, such as activities and moderated chat forums that can be used to enhance young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Headspace
Headspace is website of free info on different ways to meditate. They have a free trial of their app which guides you through different techniques like the one below.
