Student Wellbeing Support

At Harlington Upper School we believe strongly that positive emotional wellbeing and mental wellness are not only crucial in enabling students to feel happy and fulfilled within themselves as individuals, but also in enabling them to thrive and flourish during their time with us here at school. Students who enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing are better able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, fulfil their own potential and contribute to their wider community.

In the first instance students are encouraged to self-refer to the appropriate Head of Year where the member of staff can discuss with them what support may be available and might be most appropriate. As well as Head of Year, there is also an email address students can use (mentalhealth@harlington.org). Students are also encouraged to take responsibility for seeking out ways in which they can support themselves and may be signposted to engage with online support and additional external services where this is appropriate.

For those who require more targeted emotional support and guidance or who are experiencing a time of crisis, our pastoral teams will make a referral to our in-school Counselling service which operates five days a week on a one-to-one appointment basis. We have also introduced the ‘Mental Health Ambassador’ role for our Key Stage 5 students. The role of the Mental Health Ambassador is to offer a listening ear to their school peers and to provide a bridge between students and trusted adults. The Mental Health Ambassadors will also have responsibility to challenge stigma and raise the profile of mental health within the school.  The Mental Health Ambassador will also offer weekly drop-in sessions where young people can go to chat or look at resources.

At Harlington Upper School we have signed up to the Wellbeing Award for Schools to further develop our work to promote positive wellbeing and mental health for the whole school community and gain accreditation for the work that we have already done.

About the award:

There are eight objectives to achieve within the Wellbeing Award Framework, containing several Key Performance Indicators set out within each. The award focuses on ensuring effective practice and provision is in place that promotes the emotional wellbeing and mental health of both staff and pupils. Many of these are already in place. The award will enable us to develop these practices where necessary and help us to ensure that wellbeing is embedded in the long-term culture of our school. It will help us to create an ethos where mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all.

With this award, we will demonstrate our commitment to:

• Promoting mental health as part of everyday school life
• Improving the emotional wellbeing of our staff and pupils
• Ensuring mental health problems are identified early and appropriate support provided
• Offering provision and interventions that matches the needs of our pupils and staff
• Promoting the importance of mental health awareness
• Capturing the views of parents, pupils and teachers on mental health issues