Student Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Robert May’s School, we recognise that positive mental health and wellbeing are essential to the development of thriving and successful students. It is therefore vital to our aims as an organisation that we provide high quality mental health and wellbeing support.

We aim to ensure that our school:

• reduces the stigma attached to mental health issues and promotes positive wellbeing in all students
• provides a secure environment that encourages openness and trust
• can respond effectively to concerns about students’ mental health
• embeds the skills students need to make good decisions about their own mental health and wellbeing
• offers comprehensive pastoral and medical support that is accessible to all students
• encourages students to seek support or assistance and report concerns about others
• provides guidance and training to staff to support and care for students

Providing a Network of Support

In addition to supporting individual students with mental health and wellbeing concerns, Robert May’s School will commit to making sure that all students can access a cohesive network of pastoral and medical services. These include:

• our pastoral team
• the medical room, which is open from 8.25am to 2.55pm
• appointments with ELSA
• appointments with the school counsellor
• Wellbeing Ambassadors, who are trained to support their peers

The School also works closely with external agencies, who students can be referred to for support during or outside of the school day.

• ELSA (Secondary) -  Link to an information leaflet will be available soon
• Counselling - Link to an information leaflet will be available soon
• Canine Assisted Learning - Visit their website for more information. You can see some photos of visiting support dogs in the photo gallery below!

Mental Health First-Aiders - Further information to be added soon!

Name & Role	Picture	Location	Interesting fact
Mrs Vicky Steele Deputy DSL  (Designated Safeguarding Lead)		Admin Office by Heads offices	I spent 4 months in Malawi teaching English to students where I tried their local ‘delicacy’; boiled mouse!
Mrs Ashley Ellison AAHT - KS3		Office - opp H4	to follow...
Mrs Abigail Gray Director of Inclusion		RP Office	to follow...
Mr Phill Holt Student Support		Student Support (between DT1 & DT4)	I love to ride motorbikes and like to get out on mine when the sun is shining!  I also love dogs and I have a British Bulldog called Winnie
Mrs Jo Lochman Home School Link Worker & Student Support		Student Support (between DT1 & DT4)	I've attended over 20 music festivals and love to dance! I  have an Old English Sheepdog called Rudi - who is the size of a small pony!
Mrs Karen Davison ELSA		Office by H1 / opp IT Support	I was an RSPCA Inspector for 12 years and love animals - my favourite animal is the wolf
Mrs Amie McDonald BACP Registered Counsellor		Next to IT Support	I was part of the 1st all female team to raft the Zanskar River in the Himalayas
Sarah Morrison BACP Registered Counsellor	To follow!	Next to IT Support	I play in a recorder group called the “Tootlers”

Wellbeing Ambassadors - Our Wellbeing Ambassadors are a fantastic group of students from Year 9 and 10 who have been trained to help promote awareness of how we can all support good mental health. They provide mentoring for students and deliver assemblies and tutor time activities. 

Anti-bullying Charter

All students in Year 7 sign up to our Anti-bullying charter by decorating a paper hand and adding it to the charter which is displayed in tutor rooms.

Anti-bullying-charter.pdf

Inspirational Stories: 

On 14th November 2023, we were fortunate to have Ben Smith visiting us to speak to students as part of our focus for Anti-Bullying week.

Ben’s story is one of triumph over adversity, it inspires and motivates all ages. Perfectly pitched, Ben’s honest and often raw story telling focuses the talk on his life story.  Covering subjects like bullying, growing up, LGBTQ+, suicide, challenges, overcoming adversity and mental health.  Ben is very open, honest, raw and at all times relatable.  He uses appropriate humour and is extremely eloquent in the way he delivers his talks, connecting straight away with the audience and leaving them hanging on every word.  

Ben is a social entrepreneur, mental health charity founder, award winning global adventurer, fundraiser, author and inspirational speaker.  From attempting suicide twice to running 401 marathons in 401 days, we challenge you not to find something in Ben’s life story that isn’t relatable.

The 401 Challenge Website

Quick Links: Signposting for Mental Health and Wellbeing Support

• NHS Choices Provides a wealth of information and guidance on all mental health conditions.
• NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity. Working to prevent abuse, help rebuild children’s lives and support families.
• Young Minds is one of the UK's leading charities for children and young people's mental health.
• Place2Be is one of the UK’s leading children's mental health charities.
• Mind is the UK’s leading mental health charity, offering a great deal of useful information on children’s mental health.
• Children's Mental Health Week is an annual opportunity to encourage children, young people and adults to celebrate their uniqueness.
• Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS; sometimes also known by its older name Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)) are funded by the NHS to provide support to children and young people with a wide range of behavioural and emotional issues. 
• NHS children's mental health provides ways to support young people with mental health problems.
• The Children’s Commissioner provides advice and government reports on mental health and wellbeing.
• NHS Hampshire CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are an NHS service that aims to help young people up to the age of 18 who are finding it hard to manage their emotional and psychological health, and who are suffering with acute, chronic and severe mental health problems.
• NHS 111- trained mental health workers available
• Hampshire Healthy Families For all things health and families in Hampshire.
• Healthier Together The website provides advice for parents, young people and pregnant women, and clinical resources to support healthcare professionals.