Emotional health and well being in a secondary school. A delivery

model

Neil WilsonExecutive Headteacher

Newall Green High and Benchill Primary School 3-19 Federation

Emotional Health

(Source: South Manchester Area Health Authority)

• In a typical high school of 1000 pupils. At any one time:

• 50 are seriously depressed• 100 suffer significant distress• 5-10 girls have an eating disorder• 10-20 pupils have obsessive compulsive disorder• Do you know who they are?• If you don’t you should.• If you do. What strategies and processes do you

have in place to support them?• What are the implications for families?

Some contextual data

• 3-19 hard federation since October 2008• 6th form presumption. Opening September 2009 (108 students)• 3 specialisms. Arts 2000. HPSS 2003. Science with Mathematics

2004. Applied Learning 2006• Newall Green FSM 46%. Benchill Primary School 74%• Just completed £18m BSF. Additional £4m for 6th form• Physical disabled resourced school for 10. Additional 15 from 2010 • SLD resourced school for 10• MLD and other special needs. 38% of school on the special needs

register• Additional provision to take 10 other special needs (SLD Autism)• Extended school provision case studied by SSAT and DCSF• NEETS date for Wythenshawe greatly reduced since the advent of

the 6th form (September 2009)

Social Context (not inverted snobbery!) of children aged 0-15 who live in Wythenshawe

• % who live in households without access to a car or van? 38%• % who live in a lone parent family? 43% (National 17%)• % who live in households where there is not an adult in

employment? 36% (National 5%)• % of 5 year olds that show evidence of tooth decay? 60%

(National 40%)• Conception Rates per 1000 girls aged 15 to 17 Wythenshawe

67.3. (National 46) • Very challenging urban. Benchill ward was the most socially

deprived ward in England. Now dissolved.

Year 7 September 2008

Building Schools for the future

Issues for the 21st century school• Raising of school leaving age to 18• Higher level skills and qualifications than ever before• Development of wider personal skills to allow success as young people

and adults• Multi-agency work to facilitate the delivery of additional needs ( at

some time in their career almost all young people will require this)• High levels of parental engagement and satisfaction with schools• Personalised learning that facilitates progression, inclusion and high

standards• Provision of a range of activities and opportunities to enrich lives of

young people, families and the wider community • Focus on the full range of the Every Child Matters outcomes• Accountability for outcomes and issues around Ofsted, and the new

school report card• A highly skilled workforce which is well led• Appropriate resources to support desired outcomes

What will be different? (amongst other things)

• The central role of the school within community cohesion and community leadership

• Multi agency partnerships focused around the school and groups of schools

• The focus on learning but in the context of the family and the support/encouragement they may require

• Safeguarding and the improvements of children’s lives

Our Staff at Christmas

Some things we do

• A school where the ‘school fits in around the student not the student fitting in around the school’

• Strong workforce – well supported & developed • Multi agency team - part of whole school team and

are seamless• Bespoke provision (personalised learning), • SEN provision that is integrated • Peer mentors• Diverse workforce that is highly motivated • Partnership with parents that are evaluated and

reviwed

ECM well-being indicators (ofsted)

• Schools’ accountability for well-being • Indicators: ‘hard’ data• Indicators: perception surveys• Ofsted’s use of indicators

ECM well-being indicators (ofsted)

• The Children’s Plan and more recently, the DCSF well-being guidance on the duty on schools to promote well-being of their pupils, indicated the intention develop strong school-level indicators that taken together help to measure a school’s contribution to pupil well-being

• ‘Well-being’ is the term used to refer to the five Every Child Matters outcomes

ECM well-being indicators (ofsted)

Perceptions of pupils, about the extent to which they:– feel safe– experience bullying– know who to approach if they have a concern– enjoy school– are making good progress– feel listened to– are able to influence decisions in the school

ECM well-being indicators (ofsted)

• provides a good range of additional activities• gives pupils good opportunities to contribute to the local

community• helps people of different backgrounds to get on well, both in

the school and in the wider community• helps pupils gain the knowledge and skills they will need in

the future• offers the opportunity at 14 to access a range of curriculum

choices• supports pupils to make choices that will help them progress

towards a chosen career/subject of further study• enables pupils to influence decisions in the school.

ECM well-being indicators (ofsted)

Perceptions of parents about the extent to which the school:• promotes healthy eating• promotes exercise and a healthy lifestyle and (for younger

children) play• discourages smoking, consumption of alcohol and use of

illegal drugs and other harmful substances• gives good guidance on relationships and sexual health• helps pupils to manage their feelings and be resilient• promotes equality and counteracts discrimination

Multiagency team & integrated working

• Integrated into the school• Range of agencies and learning support staff • Shared police officer

Links with other Agencies

Multi agency team

• Bereavement Counselling• Self Esteem issues• Relationship Building• Parenting skills• Sexual Health advice• Safeguarding issues• Housing• Neighbourhood nuisance

School based activities

• Senior Citizens party and support• Student council and voice in school management• Vulnerable children. Structured programme • Looked After Children (34)• The school as a community focus through the leisure centre• 16-19 provision through the sixth form presumption and the

development of community leadership programmes. Young adults putting something back.

• PSHE programme and themes from 3-19• Personal Emotional and Thinking Skills within the new Key stage

three curriculum.• House system that involves the primary schools• Parenting programmes including curriculum evenings and parent

support groups

Engagement and Ethos

• The impact of specialism and the ethos it creates (Arts, Science, Applied Learning)

• Start of each academic year:• Two training days and three days of activities which includes

Residentials for students ( 350 per year go on residentials) Day trip to Blackpool for everyone else.

• This came out of a survey about summer holiday experiences of our young people.

• Two work experiences Year 10 and Year 11. Work related learning in between.

• Applied Learning days for year 10 and year 11. All students do at least one applied learning course

Creating the evidence base to measure impact. Take a long term perspective!

• Base line data such as attendance, punctuality and subject grades. Make predictions based on prior attainment. Has the data improved?

• Producing case studies to show how your processes have made an impact.

• The number of referrals to the multi-agency team and those that have been successfully signed off.

• Student voice. What impact has the provision had? Use evaluation forms that are part of their progress review.

• How well are they functioning socially? Concerns are passed on to FFS via the head of year.

• What do parents want? Ask them in written form or face to face. Then act on the intelligence. Do something!

Creating the evidence base to measure impact. Take a long term perspective!

• All the following are used by our staff, teachers and family support workers.• SDQ. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires that picks up a general idea about

the emotional health of young people.• Also used with parents as part of the Parenting programmes. Both child and

parent do it prior to the course and then afterwards. Pre and post testing• Can be done on-line. Will give you a score. (http://www.sdqscore.net.)• From the above and the general history that we have about the young people, we

follow up with:• Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorder (SCARED) questionnaire. Again pre and

post testing and intervention in between. Has it improved?• Mood and feelings Questionnaire. For those who have low moods or depression.• CONNORS monitoring assessment form, used by all teachers and FSW to identify

and monitor hyper-activity.• Part of the referral process to the multi-agency team who then decide if a referral

to clinical psychologist or psychiatry is required.

Leadership Philosophy and practice• Complexity of schools. The need to lead many teams that exist

within the school. Many of which contain adults other than teachers.

• The development of non-teachers as leaders who are involved in transformation. This is real distributed leadership.

• Development of the knowledge base of outcomes achievement amongst all the teams including associate staff

• The lead into community moral purpose and one that includes other adults. This extends engagement opportunities and reinforcement of values

Develop proactive communication strategies,including challenging negative stereotyping within

and between communities

Some of the things we do within Community Cohesion

• Partnerships with three main partner primary schools• Curriculum support through specialism ( 6 hours per week per

school)• Half term meetings between headteachers to discuss issues• Work with the families through multi-agency and pastoral

support• Residential programmes• Evaluate and measure impact ( sometimes difficult . Use case

studies as supporting evidence. Data whenever possible)• Report on it within the SEF• Have a Community Cohesion Action Plan

Understanding the Community

• Large team of Associate Staff (87)• 54% live in or around the immediate neighbourhood –

tapping into that ‘voice’• Community Leisure Provision – ¾ million users over the past

14 years• Extensive amount of work within the federated school and

with two partner primary schools• Extensive amount of engagement with local Housing Trust

and other partners – Community Projects

The Multi Agency Team

• Senco (Assistant Headteacher)• Dep Head Teacher ( Guidance and Safeguarding)• Full Service School Coordinator (CAMHS)• Educational Welfare Officer• Senior Manager of Associate Staff• Family Support Worker (7)• School Social Worker • Assistant Social Worker• School Health Worker (school nurse)• Heads of Year (5)• Clinical Psychiatry. Consultant Psychologist• Pastoral Secretary

Process

• Concerns about a student are discussed with the Head of Year• The Head of Year refers if appropriate• Referral form is completed with an outline of concerns and

support needed• The Team meet to discuss referrals, and allocate a key worker

(each Wednesday) • Students frequently self refer• Parents and Carers also request support

Framework for parenting and family Support Work

Family Learning Education Programme• Children with parents who are long term unemployed,

together with post codes. (based on super output areas)• Offer of support by letter and if returned contact made• Project outline. Parents to get and keep a job. Students to

achieve school based targets• Partnership with Job Centre Plus and School• Informal meeting Parents to receive £50 for signing up. A

further £200 if they are found a job. Another £300 if they keep the job for 13 weeks

• School rewards system. Students got £25 if parents signed up.

• Targets for the rest of the year divided into half term blocks. Improved attendance, curriculum targets, behaviour. £25 each time targets are achieved.

Family Learning Education Programme

• Parents meeting with Job Centre Plus, Manchester Adult Ed., Key Worker

• Courses on Interview technique, filling in application forms, preparing for the interview, time keeping and routines.

• Parents contact with school tutor around issues of targets.• Developed a very close partnership. Some families

attended a residential weekend (outdoor pursuits). This involved team building, parenting, and general enjoyment!!

• Carried out for 12 months. None of these children are NEETS

• 22 families involved

Family Learning Education Programme

• 22 families involved. 25 significant adults from these families have found employment, training or gone into further education

• Costing?• 22 families at roughly £86 a week benefits £1892• 22 families at £70 housing benefit £1540• Total for the week £3422• In 12 months that would save £178,00 (approx)• Cost of programme• Payment to 35 students £150 (approx) £5250• Payment to significant adults 25 @ £550 £13750• Total cost £19,000• Total savings to the state for one year is about £160,000 • Plus the tax that these people are now paying• Attitudes have changed, students gained pride in their “significant

adults”, many positives.