The Emotional Health and Well-being of Students
The well-being of young people is at the forefront of parental and public concern, and here at NHGS we have a strong ethos of valuing and supporting the emotional health and well-being of its students. In 2014 we established a dedicated well-being team to address their emotional needs through an early intervention drop-in service partnered with full-time professional counselling for those with more significant needs. 1 in 4 of our students access this support, in line with national statistics for those who experience well-being issues at some point in their life. Our aim is to address any need at the earliest stage - as it emerges - thus ‘nipping it in the bud’ and teaching young people positive coping strategies and resilience from an early age, so that they are better prepared to handle the pressures which external exams present later in their school career.
School Well-being Manager – Mrs Booth
Mrs Booth is the school's professional counsellor and a member of the BACP who offers support and help to students with a range of well-being issues such as anxiety and stress, low mood, low self-esteem, OCD symptoms, anger, relationship issues and so on. She joined the NHGS team in 2014 after managing the local Noah's Ark Counselling Service for several years. In addition, alongside her work as a counsellor, she was an English teacher for 25 years and a Year Group Leader in that time, working in a number of secondary schools. With this background she also offers engagement work with students who are struggling with exam stress, revision techniques, organisational issues, friendship breakdown, problems relating to their transition into the school, behavioural issues and anything which supports the work of the Year Group Leaders and wider pastoral team. The aim of this engagement work is to enable students to settle happily into the school community; to build their resilience; to access the curriculum with confidence; to focus well in lessons; and to make the most of the opportunities on offer at NHGS.
School Welfare Officer – Mrs Lamb
The School Welfare Officer works closely with the pastoral team to provide an advice service for students with regard to physical and mental well-being. Mrs Lamb supports students with a wide range of issues including friendships, behavioural difficulties and emotional issues which may impact on their lives in or out of school. She also liaises with parents and outside agencies in order to support students with specific medical conditions, which is particularly helpful for students when physical issues impact on their emotional well-being. She monitors all students who have a medical plan, and helps to organise medical support for all trips out of school. She also provides first aid to all students, staff and visitors to school.