"Alexia Sibthorpe and her team have worked with de Stafford School’s young people over the last two years offering a wealth of wellbeing and safeguarding interventions.   

 

The ASB-related workshops exploring Identity, not only informed the cohort to whom the workshop was delivered, but the 'ripple' effect of the knowledge shared is part of our safeguarding provision to our wider community. 

 

We are very much aware that mental health and wellbeing is high on the educational agenda and our ability to meet the needs of those young people we identify as most in need, proves invaluable in enabling them to access learning and continue to thrive within our setting.    

 

The RU OK? workshops have offered a provision to complement the pastoral individual support that we offer via counselling and access to our Primary Mental Health Care Worker. Without these workshops, although we reach a number of young people in a very targeted and individualised manner, we can only offer support to a few.  Knowing that we can offer small group interventions, allows us to reach out to students who otherwise may have to wait for crisis point to access help.   

 

There is a wealth of research evidencing that early intervention in supporting young people's mental health and prevention of risk of harm is key to safeguarding them in the present and in the future.  We are very aware that a high proportion of serious mental health issues present first in mid-adolescence.  We support our young people through our pastoral provisions and curriculum, but the additionality of the workshops is very much part of our Early Help offer and enriches our PHSE curriculum. 

 

We are proud to have been supported by Alexia; we feel that our young people have had access to a rich network of provision both within school and outside of school, via the work of the Our Time Youth Agency."