Pastoral Support

Supporting student well-being is a key factor in the role for all staff at JMA to ensure the safety, happiness and progress of students. We do this by offering pastoral support to students in their transition from children to adults. This includes support and advice around physical health, mental health, sexual health and emotional well-being. We also empower our students by teaching them about the risks online and in their wider environment around exploitation, both sexual and criminal.

A key part in this support is the role of Student Services in identifying and providing additional support for any students and their families that may need a little more support.

By identifying students and their families who may need additional pastoral support as early as possible it is more likely that the support offered will have a positive and long-lasting outcome.

Effective early help relies upon students, parents, JMA and local agencies working together to:

Identify children and families who would benefit from early help;
Undertake an assessment of the need for early help; and
Provide targeted early help services to address the assessed needs of a student and their family which focuses on activity to significantly improve the outcomes for the student.

If you would like to discuss the support available please read the sections below, that outline the support available at JMA and in the wider community, and contact Steve Barton who is the Designated Safeguarding Lead and can be contacted at: sbarton@johnmadejskiacademy.co.uk

What support is provided as part of the school's Early Help offer?

Individual Education Plans – this allows information and best practice to be shared between the teachers, student and parent/carers to individualise the student’s education.

Mentoring – either 1:1 or group can give the students the tools and incite to overcome any barriers that may be affecting them socially or negatively impacting on their education

Family Liaison Manager – Cathie Dallimore: cdallimore@johnmadejskiacademy.co.uk. Cathie works closely with the parents/carers of students to support them with any issues in school or in their wider environment. Cathie works closely with students that have SEND

Youth Liaison Officer – Lisa Brawn: lbrawn@johnmadejskiacademy.co.uk. Lisa works with students that are having concerns about their mental health or social/medical issues. Lisa works directly with the student and helps them to access internal or external support.

Counselling – provides students with a safe environment to discuss their feelings and explore how these feelings impact on their self-worth, relationships and behaviour. Everything discussed with the counsellor is kept confidential unless there is a risk to the child or someone else.

Support offered by the Student Services Team:

1:1 support to young people - Addressing the needs of students who require help in overcoming barriers to learning in order to achieve their full potential.
Family Support – Offering advice to parents and signposting them to appropriate services.

Support offered by external professionals at JMA:

School nurse – the school nurse supports students with all aspects of physical and mental health needs. Students can self-refer or seek support from the pastoral team.
Sexual Health Nurse – a drop in session is available for students to attend once a week.
Counselling – Counselling is available to the students and can be accessed through the Pastoral team.

Support offered by The Children’s Action Team:

Youth workers – provide one to one support to young people to improve their life choices/chances and advocate on behalf of young people to promote independence. The Youth Service works with young people aged 13 - 19 years and their families.
Primary Mental Health Workers - support children and young people where a concern has been identified around mental health issues such as low mood, self-harm, anxiety, challenging behaviour, aggression, attachment difficulties, school phobias and emotion regulation. This might include assessment, time-limited support and counselling.
Family Workers - work with families who are experiencing difficulties and in need of emotional support, supporting them to access the right services to meet this need - this could be improving their home organisation, their children's school attendance, or their parenting skills.
Education Welfare - help children and young people and their families to maintain and improve attendance, in partnership with schools.
Educational Psychology - help children or young people who are experiencing problems within an educational setting with the aim of enhancing their learning. Challenges may include social or emotional problems or learning difficulties.
Parenting Service - offers a range of evidence-based parenting skills and support programmes for parents and carers.

Additional external support services:

Berkshire Women’s Aid - provides a range of services to enable people in situations of domestic abuse to make choices about their future and to rebuild their lives.
Daisy’s Dream - Advice and support for children, young people and their families, both facing and following a bereavement.
No.5 Counselling – No.5 is Reading's young person's counselling centre, dedicated to providing free, confidential counselling and emotional support to anyone between the ages of 10-25
SAFE Project - provide support to young people who have been hurt by a crime or bullying.
Liaison and Diversion Team – provide assessment and 1:1 work to divert students at risk of being criminalised.

These are just a few of the external services we have worked with. The pastoral team will always try and find the service that offers the best outcomes for the students and their families/carers.

Mental health support at home

Below are resources that we recommend families and students use at home to support them with their mental health.

Useful links about the support available to students and families

Mental Health:

Childline - https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/

Childline Telephone Number - 0800 1111

NSPCC - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/our-services/nspcc-helpline/

NSPCC Telephone Number - 0808 800 5000

Young Minds - https://youngminds.org.uk/

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk/

NCA-CEOP - If you are concerned that a someone you know is being sexually abused, exploited or groomed online you should report to NCA-CEOP - www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre

Parentzone - https://parentzone.org.uk/home