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Student Wellbeing & Support

Our vision is to have a whole school approach to promote mental health and wellbeing which creates a calm, safe and supportive environment at Bolder Academy.

We do this by:

Actively promoting healthy lifestyles including healthy and safe behaviour online
Educating and raising awareness of mental health across the school which will reduce any stigma around mental health and normalise seeking help
Establishing a Student Mental Health Committee comprising diverse representatives from different year groups who develop:
- “Mental Health Champions” who can guide and advocate for positive mental health practices across the school
- a legacy of student-led initiatives that inspire ongoing commitment to mental wellbeing beyond the school years
Signposting students, parents and staff to support available
Providing early intervention and support
Ensuring all staff are trained and confident in supporting mental health and wellbeing
Working collaboratively with parents

Our staff are vigilant in reporting any safeguarding concerns whenever they arise and any issues are dealt with by our safeguarding officers. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Ms Liz Green - lgreen@bolderacademy.co.uk. Please find all direct contacts for all our safeguarding officers below.

We teach about mental health through assemblies, tutor time, guest speakers/workshops and PSHE. Some of the ways we support student’s mental health include:

Stay Safe email address
- A way for students to report any concerns they have
- Regular emails sent t students from this email address with information, tips, online resources, signposting, flyers etc
Wellbeing page on Bolder intranet for students to access resources
Newsletter to parents with signposting and mental health strategies
Mental Health surveys completed by students
Free breakfast every morning
Extra-curricular clubs
Safety plan for students who self-harm
School nurse
CAMHS referrals
Student Leadership – Mental Health Champions
Internal Pastoral interventions
Internal SEND interventions
External interventions held at Bolder such as mentoring and counselling
Regular signposting for external services such as counselling and Early Help offers

If you or your child is concerned about bullying or any issues please encourage them to speak out to any member of staff or email - staysafe@bolderacademy.co.uk.

Advice for parents

Speak openly about emotions at home
It is common for everyone to have periods of anxiety. For example, due to school exams, this does not mean they have a mental health issue
Look for patterns which could help identify any underlying causes e.g. specifics days or times your child is saying or showing signs of mental health issues
Take to the GP if the concerns are ongoing
Encourage your child to eat healthily and engage in forms of physical activity. This has a positive impact on mental wellbeing
Limit use of social media. Research shows that this has a significant impact on young people’s mental health. For top tips about social society, please visit our Online Safety page.
For further advice, please visit some of the websites below.

We recognise that sometimes families need support too and we work closely with Hounslow Early Help Hub and other agencies to stay up-to-date with services that might be able to help.

For information about Hounslow Parenting Services please visit the Hounslow website for details on parenting courses or discuss with your child’s Pastoral Manager referrals which can be made to Hounslow for Family Workers or Social Care

If you would like any information, please click here to go to the Hounslow Family Services directory.

We have created a directory of websites that our students have found useful in supporting their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Students should call Childline on 0800 11 11 straight away if they are concerned about their mental health or think they are in trouble,

If parents or carers feel that they need some support, they can call Young Minds for free on 0808 802 5544. They are open 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

Please click on the websites below:

https://www.hfehmind.org.uk/home/help-now/
https://hycscounselling.co.uk/
https://togetherall.com/en-gb/
https://student.kooth.com/
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
https://stem4.org.uk/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
https://www.papyrus-uk.org/ - Feeling Suicidal? Papyrus has confidential links that you can call if you or a person you know is not coping well with life

Visit the website below to access Joe Wicks the Body Coach website for at-home PE lessons:

joe-wicks-the-body-coach-at-home-pe-lessons

At Bolder, we provide advice and support, as well as signposting a wide range of resources, to help our students stay safe online. This includes information shared during Assemblies, Personal Development sessions and Computer Science lessons.

It is important that students and parents understand the importance of keeping safe online. We teach students about social media and online safety through our PSHE curriculum every year and through assemblies. Below our some top tips for keeping safe:

Know which social media platforms your child is using and the age limits required for these
- TikTok – 13 years old
- Facebook – 13 years old
- WhatsApp – 16 years old
Set up safety tools to monitor what your child is doing online
Ensure their social media privacy settings are secure
Regularly check your child’s social media to check which apps they are using, who they are in communication with and what content is being shared
Do not let your child talk to or ‘friend’ people they do not know so they do not put themselves at risk; they cannot be sure who is on the other end of a social media platform and whether this is an age appropriate person
Do not let your child share any personal information about themselves such as address, phone number, location, school
Encourage your child to tell you if they have received or seen any unkind or illegal activity and report to the police, teach your child how to block accounts
Talk about what is and is not appropriate to view and post online
Know and understand the law
- The number of children and young people going to court for harassment, offensive comments and threatening behaviour is increasing
- It is against the law to possess or share explicit images of anybody under 18, even if this is consensual
- Future employees can contact searches on applicants social media which may affect their future careers

Further information can be found online including individual social media platforms:

Click below for:

E-Safety A Parent's Guide

If something has happened online which has made you (or someone you know) feel unsafe, scared or worried, we encourage you to report it to CEOP by visiting their website - https://www.ceop.police.uk/.

Students can also request to speak to our Safer Schools Police Officer by emailing their Pastoral Manager.

Bolder Academy recognises that the welfare of the children is paramount and takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of students in its care.