Wellbeing at Ursuline College

Ursuline College is committed to contributing positively to our students’ physical, mental and personal well-being and safety. This is in line with supporting and promoting our distinctive Ursuline Catholic ethos to ensure that our students gain personal skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience needed for excelling outside of the school community.

House Teams consisting of form tutors and a House Manager are led by a Head of House. Pastoral care is taken on by Tutors and House Managers who are available to students each day.

Tutor Time and Assemblies are used to share important messages regarding wellbeing, extend learning and give time for discussion. External services and events are also promoted through visiting speakers delivering assemblies.

Safeguarding and Online Safety is paramount to ensure students’ and staff safety on a day-to-day basis. Safeguarding is overseen by a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads with students being supported through house teams and counselling links.

PSHE lessons provide an opportunity for students to engage in dialogue about common mental health needs and develop appropriate decision making and other life skills to help them with self-management and to increase awareness of support services available.

NHS NELFT team

As part of our Wellbeing offer at Ursuline College we are extremely fortunate to be supported by the NHS NELFT Team. Two members of this team, Bobbi Searle and Emily Barker, are working with us this academic year 2021/2022 delivering workshops, interventions and one to one support. Please read more about their involvement with the school in their introductory letter.

Future Events

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 will take place 9-15 May on the topic of Loneliness. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/mental-health-foundation-announces-loneliness-theme-mental-health-awareness-week-2022

Useful Resources:

• Kooth is for young people 10 to 16 to get advice, information and can also chat to a qualified counsellor. Home - Kooth
• Kindness Matters Guide - click here · Self-care and support for young people - click here
• Kent Resilience hub- (supporting young people to cope with the pressures of everyday life.) - https://kentresiliencehub.org.uk/
• Kent Youth Health has lots of useful information and resources on feelings, sex, health and relationships for teenagers in Kent. Find out what’s normal for teenagers, how to cope with any bumps on the road and where to go to get help if you need it. - https://www.kentyouthhealth.nhs.uk/
• Togetherall is a clinically managed, online community designed to improve mental health. Our platform provides anonymous, peer-to-peer interactions so that as many people as possible can benefit from instant, easy-access and round-the-clock support when they need it. Togetherall is a place where people can feel safe to share feelings, support each other and start to feel better. - https://togetherall.com/en-gb/about-us
• Mind - If you're going through a tough time, you're not alone. We've got lots of information and advice to help. https://www.mind.org.uk/
• Childline is here to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. You can talk about anything. Whether it’s something big or small, our trained counsellors are here to support you. Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night. You can talk to us by calling 0800 1111 or using https://www.childline.org.uk/about/about-childline/
• Transforming lives and changing attitudes - We are the UK's leading charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people. https://www.autism.org.uk/
• We are with you - Get free, confidential support with alcohol, drugs or mental health from one of our local services or online https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/

Online support for parents

Many people experiencing a mental health problem will speak to friends and family before they speak to a health professional, so the support you can offer them can be really valuable.

• Mind have produced a guide for carers supporting those with mental health conditions.
• Release the Pressure text ‘Kent’ to 85258 for in the moment help when life gets overwhelming and you need immediate support. No fee, no registration or data required - it is silent, free, confidential and anonymous. We are here for everyone, young people and adults, 24/7 - text any time, day or night, whenever you need mental health support.
• Find local counselling advice and support groups.
• Samaritans can be contacted for free on 116 123 for 24 hour support. They also offer support by email, letter and face-to-face.
• BBC Bitesize have produced 4 steps to chatting with your child about their mental health and 5 tips in coping with lockdown as a single parent.
• Mental Capacity Act find out more about the Mental Capacity Act, to see how it can protect yours and your child's rights to make their own decisions.
• Mencap how to communicate and help a child or a young person understand bereavement

NUT ALLERGIES

We have a small number of students in school who have severe nut allergies and can be seriously affected by someone else who is eating – or may have recently eaten nuts.

We are asking for your help to provide these students with a safe school environment. Any exposure to peanuts/nuts may cause a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires emergency medical treatment.

To reduce the chance of this occurring, we are asking that you do not send any peanut or nut containing products to school with your son/daughter. We understand that this is an additional thing to check and we know that you recognise the importance of it.

We would also be grateful if you could discuss this information with your child as we also realise that many of them buy their own ‘snacks’ on the way to school.

We appreciate your co-operation in this to ensure the wellbeing of all our pupils. 

Thank you for your thoughtfulness.