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Headlines By James Saunders 25th June 2021

Wellbeing support for September 21

Honywood has always been fully committed to supporting the whole child and although we appreciate the need to strive for excellent exam results, we have always tried to balance this with the wellbeing of our learners, aspiring for happiness and success both during their time with us and beyond into their lives ahead. I am very proud of our staff and the caring nature of our school, where meaningful relationships and personalisation are embedded into every aspect of school life. As I have written previously to families, the last year has shown us the importance of these unique aspects of our school and I am confident that the ethos of Honywood will continue to support our learners moving forward into whatever challenges next year brings. We are highly conscious of the impact of mental health and wellbeing on a young person's learning. We recognise that all learners in our school deserve a universal offer to support their mental health and wellbeing and have been looking at ways in which we can increase this offer to reach and impact on a greater number of learners across all cohorts. From September, learners will have greater access to a range of interventions that will support them in a variety of ways, including a focus on their emotional and mental wellbeing. These interventions will be run by some of our own staff and also by the Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) which I wrote about in headlines on 7th May. These pathway interventions are:  Resilience and coping strategies  Communication and social interaction  Character Development

Although these pathways will initially be targeted at learners who we recognise would most benefit from them, they will also be available for other learners who would not necessarily have been identified in our previous support model. This is because they will be delivered through a rolling programme over the year, therefore enabling many more learners to take part, hence providing a more equitable universal offer that is open to all.

Our EMHPs have now become an integral part of the school and have already had a significant impact with supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our learners. I have received great feedback regarding the quality and expertise that they are providing for our learners. To date they have been providing individual support for our learners but from September this will be further expanded to include targeted intervention for groups of learners under the pathway interventions. Another key component which forms the core of the wellbeing support network for our learners is our pastoral care structure.The first layer of support begins with the Learning Group Leaders (LGLs) who have a pivotal role in providing wellbeing support for the learners in their learning group. They are a key part of a learner's life at school, providing a regular and friendly face at the start and end of each school day. In talking to families visiting from primary school recently, the Learning Group Leader has been a clear example of how we retain the sense of belonging that primary school affords, by having a consistent point of contact and sense of familiarity and security for our young people. Our learners also have the support of their Cohort Leader (CL) who also adds an additional layer of support to their LGL. Furthermore, every adult in our school community has a duty to support the emotional wellbeing of our learners and will offer support and guidance whenever needed. I certainly find that every interaction I have with a learner usually involves a bit of support for their wellbeing. If learners feel they need some additional support around their emotional and mental wellbeing, I would encourage them in the first instance to speak with their LGL, their CL or any adult in the school who will be happy to support and/or sign post them to additional support available. Mrs Nichols from the Family Learning Team has been supporting our new Education Mental Health Practitioners to work with our learners and will be key to overseeing our increasing offer of support in September. I have included with these headlines the first Mental Health support Team newsletter - please take the time to read about the great work they are doing to support the mental health of young people.

Headlines contd... I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight our Honywood Wellbeing website/app which is also a great resource to support learners and families with a variety of areas which can have an impact on emotional and mental health. This site has been created to provide learners with relevant information, strategies for them to use and also signposts other support available. If you have not yet had a chance to look at the site I recommend that you do as this can also provide parents/carers with useful information to support your child. https://sites.google.com/honywoodschool.com/ learnerwellbeing/home I am proud to lead a school that fosters excellent relationships between learners and adults and provides an environment where each young person is fully supported and knows where to go if they need help and support. I am confident about the plans ahead which I know will provide an excellent level of support for our young people. The widening of our wellbeing support for all, with the addition of experienced Education Mental Health Practitioners has necessitated some restructuring of our in house offer. It is with great sadness that we must say goodbye to Carol Buick, Lorraine Richell and Jacy Thomas who are part of the Family Learning Team. They have been an integral part of the support we have provided our learners and have contributed heavily to the culture that exists in the school today. It was Lorraine who was keen to engage with the Mental Health Support Team back in November who’s services we have been lucky to secure.

They will leave a culture of empathy, caring and compassion behind and their legacy will live on through the learners they have impacted during their time at Honywood - many families and learners have sent me messages over the last couple of years praising the support they received. They have contributed in creating an ethos of support that we all now play a part in. They say it takes a village to raise a child. The wellbeing of a learner should never fall to one individual, it is our collective responsibility to care for everyone in our community - we are a team. These valued Family Learning Team members leave a legacy of just that working as a team. And whilst the shock of change may be hard for us and our learners to deal with, we owe it to the legacy of Carol, Lorraine and Jacy to put the learners first and ensure they are supported to overcome any barriers so that they may transition successfully to the next step in their lives. We are not ceasing to support our learners. Just like in any school, staff move on from time to time and learners can often find this difficult, especially if they have become attached to them. However, coping with change is a key skill in developing resilience and one we must support our young people to deal with so that when the inevitable arrives - their time to leave us - they are well prepared to transition independently. The other members of the team remain and are committed to ensuring that any transition will be effective. Please join me in thanking Carol, Lorraine and Jacy for their contributions to the Honywood community. We wish them the best of luck in the future. James Saunders Headteacher

Reminder for families, please ensure you have signed up to our SIMS parent app to view your child's timetable and update contact details. Please ensure we have at least two contact phone numbers on our system for emergencies. Thankyou

Week commencing 21st June 2021

English C7/8— Scarlett Evans C7/8— Sienna Chinery C8/9— Will Harvey

C8/9— Amy Cherry C9/10— Sam Colebrook C9/10— Olivia Williams C10/11— Zoe Dines C10/11— Henry Whistler

Maths C7/8— Mylee Colton C7/8—Faye Longstaff C7/8—Luke Read C8/9—Jack Garner C8/9—Emily Spencer C9/10— Megan Ramage C9/10— Shelby Mitson C9/10—Sam Repman C10/11— Daisy Thomas C10/11— Mia Fisher

French KS3— Zehra Torbas KS4— Fletcher Hill

German KS3— Dominic Scherer KS4— Marcia Swain

C7/8— Keira Martin

C9/10— Maisie Petts C9/10— Erin Smith

History KS3— Emily Jones KS4— Esme Webster

Philosophy & Religion

KS4— Levi Halasi

KS3— Jay-Conner GormleyMorriss KS4— Holly Bates

Music KS3— Alfie Cork KS4— Nathaniel Lane

Drama KS3— Emma Jullien KS4— Harriet Trustrum

Dance KS3— Pru Duffy KS4— Connie Pratchett

Media Studies Holly James

C8/9— Chris Brown C8/9— Hannah Stevens

KS3— Aidan Smith KS4— Joe Benson

Spanish

Science C7/8— Lawrie Martin

Geography

IDEA (Innovation, Digital, Enterprise and Animation)

Imogen Haynes

Art KS3— Lewis Brimfield KS4—William Harvey

KS3 Technology Olivia Walby

KS4 Food Shiloh Benson

KS4 Resistant Materials Lealand Adamson

KS4 Textiles Jessica Wheeler

C10/11— Reggie Everitt C10/11— Max Welton

Health and Social Care Moneta Hall

KS4 Graphics Josh Hardingham

Week commencing 21st 14th June 2021

Computer Science Will Chandler

Business Studies Harry Ager

All Learners nominated will be receiving certificates shortly. In addition, every learner nominated will receive 10 House Points! Well done to everyone who has been nominated this week!

House Competition update

PE KS3— Lois Heath KS4— Peter Janes GCSE— Tate Gray

C10 Boy Leadership Development Programme – C7 Football Coaching

As part of the Leadership Development Programme to enhance their selfless commitment, effective role modelling and respect for others, the c10 boys assigned to the programme decided to provide the c7s with an opportunity to enter an inter Learning Group 5-a-side football tournament, which will be running across the forthcoming week. Across the course of last week, LGs entered their teams, with each team then assigned two of the c10s to train, coach and manage them through the competition. On Monday LS4 this week each of the teams met with their respective coaches to take part in a football training session that the c10s had designed themselves. The enthusiasm, effort and willingness to listen demonstrated by the c7s was outstanding, which in turn created the perfect conditions for the c10s to genuinely experience the feeling of responsibility, accountability and leadership. All the c10 boys involved should be incredibly proud of the positive experience that they provided the c7s, and should all now endeavour to demonstrate and apply that level of effort, diligence, respect and integrity to all aspects of the academic and social lives. The c7s now have the 5-a-side tournament to look forward to, which will be running throughout next week’s LS5s, thus creating an opportunity for the c10s to ‘step up’ to not only manage their respective LG teams effectively, but to also taste the responsibility of refereeing the matches as well. Really well done to all involved on Monday, and good luck for the tournament ahead! Mr Williams

Associate Assistant Head Teacher

Dates for the diary

Well done to Sam Mead, Logan Evans and Phoebe Hazell-Young for supporting our catering team and volunteering to do a litter pick at the end of break this week. They have been awarded House Points for their kindness and support. Mrs Frid

Thursday 15th July

C9 HPV second dose

Monday 19th July

Sports’ Day

Tuesday 20th July

C8 HPV (first dose) vaccination

Tuesday 20th July

C11 Prom @ Colne Valley Golf Club

Wednesday 21st July

Last day of term

Wednesday 1st September

Non Learner day

Thursday 2nd September

New C7 only in school

Friday 3rd September

New C7 only in school

Friday 10th September

Whole school individual photos

Friday 24th September

C7 to Danbury outdoors

Wednesday 27th September Whole School Sponsored Walk

Next week is a Week “B”

Uniform Purchases Just a reminder to families to check our dress code before purchasing any new uniform during the summer. The new school skirt will be the only skirt allowed in school. Anglia Sports Wear now has stock of all sizes of skirt

https://www.honywoodschool.com/information/ school-dress-code/

M&SE MHST Newsletter

Issue 1 April 2021

Introduction Welcome to the first edition of the Mid and South Essex Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) newsletter. MHSTs is a newly designed service being jointly delivered by NHS England and Department for Education. Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership partner with NELFT to provide MHSTs and implementation has been undertaken with a collaborative approach, working together with stakeholders to design and deliver MHSTs across Mid and South Essex. It has been a really difficult time for many of us with school closures, lockdowns and reopenings and we know this has impacted upon some children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health. MHSTs are intended to provide early intervention for emotional wellbeing, such as mild to moderate anxiety as well as helping staff within school or college to provide a ‘whole school approach’ to mental health and wellbeing. During the pandemic we have been fortunate to continue deployment of MHSTs across our region and thank you for your hard work and commitment to enable us to continue this important project. The team hopes this newsletter provides further information but will aim to provide regular updates in relation to Mid and South Essex MHSTs development and progress. To find out more about MHSTs please visit Mid and South Essex Partnership website. Helen Farmer, Director for Children and Young People Mid and South Essex CCGs

Mental Health Support Teams Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are part of the government’s ‘Green Paper’ initiative to transform Child and Young People’s Mental Health Services. The role of these teams is to

www.nelft.nhs.uk www.msehealthandcarepartnership.co.uk

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work in, and with, schools and colleges to support children and young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing needs. Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) - each team has four EMHPs who are trained to deliver individual and group interventions for low and moderate mental health needs. Senior Mental Health Practitioners – experienced practitioners who work with schools to develop whole school approaches and support interventions. Senior Clinician/ Supervisors - senior clinicians who supervise the EMHPs and work with the school’s mental health lead to support the delivery of mental health interventions. Clinical & Strategic Lead - oversees and manages the clinical delivery of the mental health support teams in Mid and South Essex. Operational Lead – oversees and managed the operational development of the mental health support teams in Mid & South Essex.

Delivery of support by MHSTs:

www.nelft.nhs.uk www.msehealthandcarepartnership.co.uk

M&SE MHST Newsletter

Issue 1 April 2021

Mid and South Essex MHST Updates Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership have been part of the national rollout programme and have worked in partnership with NELFT to establish Mid and South Essex MHSTs.

Wave 1 We have three MHSTs teams working with 25 education settings in: • Further Education • Thurrock • Southend

Wave 4 With continued support to expand, further implementation of MHSTs has been successful. We have three MHSTs based across Basildon, Braintree and Maldon (as part of Wave 4 2020/21 National NHS

England programme). The EMHPS are currently in training at Reading University and working in placement schools. These teams are due to ‘go live’ in January 2022 and will be working across 33 primary and secondary schools.

New teams - Wave 5, 7 to Wave 9 We are pleased to have had confirmation by NHSE of an additional 7 MHST for Essex over the next three years (between 2022 and 2025). The first two of these MHSTs will join in September 2022 with these new teams being based in Canvey Island, Castle Point and Rochford.

Lived Experiences My Role as a Qualified EMHP As a qualified EMHP in Thurrock, I work in a mixture of primary and secondary schools. I work face to face or virtually with the young people/parents on my caseload. I work in one secondary school and four primary schools. Within my secondary schools, I work directly with young people who may be presenting with low mood or mild anxiety and carry out the sessions face to face within the school. For my primary schools, I work 1:1 with parents and incorporate the child into the sessions if possible (when creating goals), with

interventions based on challenging behaviour or anxiety. Depending on the needs of the school, our team may offer targeted group interventions or workshops to a full year group or class within the schools. I also attend ‘coffee mornings’ within some of my schools, to help raise awareness of the MHST. For two of my schools, I work with another EMHP. I have enjoyed working in a pair as it allows me to see other people’s styles of delivering group interventions, gives me a chance to share my ideas and work together on how to implement more creativity into the group intervention materials. www.nelft.nhs.uk www.msehealthandcarepartnership.co.uk

M&SE MHST Newsletter

Issue 1 April 2021

EMHP “Top Tips” for Engaging and Working with Schools Many of us were apprehensive going into schools for the first time so we compiled a list of our top tips to help make the transitions easier. I initially found it challenging transitioning from a trainee EMHP to a qualified EMHP, as I had to adjust to having a full caseload and working in more schools than I was whilst training. This was challenging, as the role of an EMHP was quite unknown within schools and only a select few members of staff were aware of my presence. Integrating into schools was made harder in the pandemic, though I have now been able to get back into some of my schools face-to-face, attend coffee mornings virtually and join in with doing some groups virtually. This has helped with raising awareness of my presence in schools and making me feel welcomed as an EMHP.

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Ask for a copy of the school prospectus to help you learn about the school.

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Be introduced to key individual’s and make a note of their contact details (e.g. SENDCo, DSL, pastoral team).

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Spend break and lunchtimes in the staff room to get to know staff members and promote the MHSTs.

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Get a feel for the school and pupils by taking part in observations of classes, assemblies etc.

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Introduce yourself during an assembly or staff meeting so everyone knows who you are and what your role is in the school.

Sade Jones, EMHP, Thurrock MHST

Whole School Approaches Team Around the Learners (TALs) meetings At the start of 2021 when the nation went into lockdown and schools remained partially open with the delivery of education being undertaken remotely. As schools and colleges where organised into ‘bubbles’, it was not always possible for certain meetings, conversations or discussions to take place in a whole school setting or department meeting. As a school-based service, we know only too

well what this meant and the dilemmas that this created for school staff, particularly around identification of mental health presentations in children and young people (CYP), as well teacher well-being and supervision. The TALs meetings were collaboratively developed with school leaders to provide consultation to all school staff in relation to the challenges they faced through the delivery of remote and face-to-face teaching. They were designed to support the following needs: www.nelft.nhs.uk www.msehealthandcarepartnership.co.uk

M&SE MHST Newsletter

1) Pupils, parents or caregivers that teaching staff have concerns about This might be through a member of the teaching staff observing something during remote or face-to-face delivery of lessons that raised concerns (e.g. lack of engagement, motivation or a reduction in the standard of work expected) or having a discussions with a parent and/or care-giver where a mental health concern was raised. 2) Triaging potential referrals and signposting An opportunity for all school staff to discuss potential referrals to the MHST and, if not appropriate for the service, for the MHST to triage referrals and support CYP/parents/carers accessing other local services (e.g. EWMHS, OpenDoor). 3) Teacher well-being and supervision Considering how best school staff could be supported (i.e. mentoring, supervision, curriculum development or collaboration with MHST).

Issue 1 April 2021

What schools have said about the TALs meetings: Sarah Clifton - Deputy Head at Tudor Court Primary School “The feedback that I had from staff was that they felt that the meetings were very therapeutic and that a weight had been lifted from the shoulders. They had a better understanding of what they could do to help the child/ren in question and even if we said to monitor the situation at least they had highlighted and discussed their concerns. All very positive, hence we have an even bigger uptake this time around.” Anna Sparrow – Pastoral Lead at Lansdown Primary School “Staff found the session to be supportive and helpful in the following ways; • An opportunity to address their concern for individual students • An opportunity to pull the case together very clearly and agree further actions to support families. • Further insight gained into family situation with the exploration discussion facilitated by Mental Health professionals.”

More schools are starting to take up the offer of support provided by the TALs, with local schools linking together and starting to form their own support networks – which is great. The TALs are a developing initiative that we are very proud of in the MHSTs! Dr Sally Robinson, Clinical and Strategic Lead

www.nelft.nhs.uk www.msehealthandcarepartnership.co.uk

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Feedback “It was good to catch up today – and I look forward to us working together to make the best use of this exciting opportunity” (St Thomas Canterbury School, Thurrock)

“Thank you for a great meeting, we are very lucky to have so much support from the MHST” (Temple Sutton Primary School, Southend)

“I liked the fact that [practitioner] normalised the things I was worried about. I also liked how [they] gave me several coping methods and it helped to find the right one for me” (YP)

“I’ve found the session really helpful and it has given me the chance to think of new things to try with our child” (Parent)

Useful Links and Resources for Education Anna Freud Websites includes: • Mentally Healthy Schools and Colleges • Schools and Colleges page Every mind matters • Looking after children and young people during the C19 pandemic Place 2 Be: • Mental Health Resources for Schools