New partnership focuses on young people’s wellbeing and mental health

Students at Barlby High School are being encouraged and supported to look after their wellbeing and mental health thanks to a new partnership between the school and the NHS Wellbeing in Mind Team.

The partnership provides specialist support for those who need it and is based on the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ and the ‘Thrive’ approach.

Working alongside the Wellbeing in Mind Team, Barlby High School staff have launched the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ to all students as a method to encourage positive wellbeing, and also a range of self-help resources. These resources can be used by students if they are struggling with things like anxiety, stress or low mood.

The wellbeing team at the school, coordinated by Zoe Hughes, Assistant Principal: Student Welfare at Barlby High School, has also recruited a group of Wellbeing Ambassadors (pictured above) who are beginning to work with fellow students, showing them how to get the best from the self-help resources and support their own wellbeing.

Zoe says: “We have developed our wellbeing strategy, utilising the ‘Thrive’ approach to wellbeing and positive mental health, as developed by the Anna Freud Foundation. This approach places emphasis on prevention and early intervention, aiming to talk about mental health and mental health support using a common language that everyone understands.

“Through a range of activities, we are encouraging students to talk about their wellbeing and mental health and develop strategies to stay well.

“We are really excited to have access to this specialist support as it is enabling us to strengthen the wellbeing and mental health provision in school, working alongside this newly-formed NHS team.”

A team of four mental health professionals from the Wellbeing in Mind Team are working with the school on a weekly basis, with three of them offering face-to-face and virtual sessions to individual students who need support.

Barlby High School is part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, alongside four secondary and nine primary schools across York and North Yorkshire.

8 December 2020