Mental Health & Wellbeing
If you are concerned about your son/daughter's mental health, please call the Young Minds Parents Helpline: 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4pm, free for mobiles and landlines)
Students are able to access either the Pastoral Hub or the Wellbeing Suite throughout the day for any needs they may have.
Our School Nurse is Alison Scott. She is available every day and is based inside the Wellbeing Suite; students who are feeling unwell should report to her. She can be contacted via email: a.scott@fws.kevibham.org
Medication can be stored safely with the School Nurse for students to use during the day. Parents/carers should provide a letter outlining the frequency and reason for any medication required to be administered in school.
Jo Power is our Emotional Learning Support Assistant in school. She works with students who are experiencing emotional difficulties. She can be contacted via email: j.power@fws.kevibham.org
We offer an Open Door Counselling service. Self-referrals can be made through Mr Russell, Heads of Year, Mrs Guthrie and Ms Handley.
We offer one to one Peer Mentoring Support via our Sixth Form students. This can be for either academic and or social/emotional support.
Our Student Wellbeing Ambassador Leads play a part in the development and leadership of mental health and wellbeing activities in school.
We deliver Mental Health and Wellbeing workshops. This is provided as part of our Learning For Life/PSHE/RSE Programme. In these sessions students learn to develop resilience, and the knowledge, skills and attributes to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepared for life and work.
Please contact Mr C Walker, who is our Designated Mental Health Lead if you would like to discuss your child’s emotional well-being or mental health. She can be contacted via email: c.walker@fws.kevibham.org
Outside of school, students and parents/carers can access support for a wide range of emotional issues at PAUSE in the city centre. This is a walk-in centre that is open seven days a week. It is located at 21 Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6BJ. Students can also access on-line support via KOOTH (www.kooth.com) and Barnado’s ‘See, Hear, Respond’ (www.barnados.org.uk/see-hear-respond)
Resources related to
surviving and thriving
Emotion Coaching
At King Edward VI Five Ways School we believe good behaviour at school is rooted in positive relationships between adults and young people. We continue to develop a culture of emotion coaching and brain awareness as part of the Trauma Informed Attachment Aware Schools programme. Since 2014 we have been celebrating Brain Awareness Week, giving students additional opportunities to understand how their brain works in relation to learning, emotions and wellbeing. We have devoted several sessions of staff training which has been supported by the Birmingham team of Educational Psychologists, as well as regular CPD sessions on emotion coaching, behaviour management and restorative conversations.
Emotion coaching is a strategy whereby the adult helps the child manage their emotions and teaches them how to problem solve through empathy, validation and setting limits. These steps work for children of all ages right up to adulthood and beyond. There will be times when we all need someone to validate how we are feeling, empathise with us, set limits on our behaviour, and help us problem solve. The steps work equally well in the home, and parents can also emotion coach their children when they are struggling to contain their feelings.
By addressing the emotional development of our students, in particular our most vulnerable, we are helping them to build resilience so they can engage with their learning and improve their mental health. This in turn gives them life skills to help them manage challenging situations as they arise now and in the future.
Useful links to emotion coaching information:
https://www.birminghameducationsupportservices.co.uk/Page/16281
