Mental Health Strategy
Why do we take Mental Wellbeing seriously?
There is a widely evidenced decline in the mental health of children across the western world, and recent data suggests this is particularly severe in the UK. Anxiety and despair are increasingly prevalent, with worrying rises in hospital admissions for self-harm, suicide attempts, and suicide itself. At Future Academies Watford, we recognize the concerns shared by parents and professionals alike regarding young people's mental health, especially as state resources remain stretched and support cannot always be guaranteed.
As a school, we are primarily a place of education and not a clinical setting. However, we firmly believe that for our students to succeed and leave us equipped to flourish, we must take mental health and wellbeing seriously. We also strive to pass what we call the "parent test," ensuring that families know their child’s wellbeing is of the utmost importance to us.
Vision
At Future Academies Watford, our vision has always been to create a school that meets the parent test, where children develop the capabilities to live a life of opportunity and where we can serve as a beacon of best practice to others. To achieve this, we acknowledge the need for a clear and coherent response to one of the greatest challenges facing this generation: mental health.
Our Core Plan
We have developed a core offer that addresses mental health and wellbeing through five dimensions, ensuring we meet the specific needs of our school community. Every school in the trust is encouraged to have a mental health lead within their senior leadership team. At Future Academies Watford, this individual ensures that mental health remains a priority, providing a tailored approach that supports our students’ unique needs.
Our Children
We foster good mental health and wellbeing by providing a safe, calm, and supportive learning environment that is free from distractions like smartphones. We cultivate a strong sense of belonging, ensuring that our students feel cared for, supported, and challenged to be the best version of themselves.
Our Specific Approach
At Future Academies Watford, we promote good mental health through a strong character curriculum, a well-planned PSHE program, and enriching opportunities that encourage students to develop their passions. We teach students about topics such as healthy relationships, managing emotions, building resilience, and self-care. Our extracurricular programs offer creative, physical, and social outlets, helping students develop holistically while fostering a sense of belonging.
Our Specialist Support
We remain vigilant for students who may need additional support for their mental health. When necessary, we provide trusted adults with basic training to help students manage daily challenges. However, we are also mindful of our limitations and work closely with external agencies when specialized support is required.
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
We ensure every SEND student at Future Academies Watford is truly known and supported. This includes providing targeted interventions for academic, emotional, and behavioral needs, such as literacy support, emotional literacy sessions, mentoring, and safe spaces during unstructured times.
Specific Interventions targeted at Future Academies Watford
We offer a wide range of targeted interventions to support our students’ mental health, including:
- Regular wellbeing check-ins from tutors and the pastoral team.
- Two welfare desks, staffed full-time by pastoral support officers.
- Calm and safe spaces like The Hive, the library, and sports activities during lunch.
- Art therapy and mental health support teams, alongside external partnerships with CAMHS and Hertfordshire Mind.
- Family support workers and an enrichment coordinator.
- An enrichment co-ordinator and careers officer.
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding lead.
A Specialist Offer
At Future Academies Watford, we are committed to continuously strengthening the mental health and wellbeing support available to our students. One way we aim to achieve this is by exploring the possibility of appointing a school-based counsellor or partnering with an organization that provides professional counselling services.
School-based counselling services can be organized through a variety of organizations, charities, or service-level agreements with the local authority. A counsellor typically works with 5-6 students daily, offering focused support over 6-10 sessions. If we were to engage a private practitioner, we would ensure they hold the appropriate training and qualifications. To minimize disruption to students' learning, we would prioritize practitioners available outside of lesson times.
It is important to note that a school counsellor would not act as our mental health lead. Their role would complement the wider support we already provide while ensuring access to counselling does not replace or prevent referrals to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) or other specialist agencies for higher-tiered support.
For this approach to be effective, the parameters of the counselling role must be clearly understood by all involved. School-based counselling is designed to provide immediate, short-term support, and we remain committed to working closely with external services to ensure students receive the specialist help they need when required.
By adding this layer of support, we aim to further enhance the mental health provision at Future Academies Watford, ensuring every child has access to resources that help them thrive.
A culture of information vigilance and thresholds
At Future Academies Watford, we have implemented a clear referral system so that staff can act quickly when a child needs support. Accurate record-keeping through platforms like CPOMs and Bromcom ensures that information is shared appropriately among key staff. Regular triage meetings, overseen by trained professionals such as our SENCO and DSL, ensure that children are receiving the right support at the right time.
By building a culture of vigilance, collaboration, and care, we aim to support every child in developing the tools they need to thrive both in school and beyond. Together, we are committed to creating a school community where mental health and wellbeing are priorities, ensuring that all our students can flourish.