Well-being at Saint Cecilia’s

At Saint Cecilia’s we are focused on the well-being of all our pupils and students. Pastoral support is very strong at Saint Cecilia’s, and it sets us apart from other schools. We seek to provide for the personal welfare of each individual child so that there are as few barriers to learning as possible. We want pupils to leave us having achieved their full potential, able to think and make decisions for themselves.

Support in School

Help is available in school from mentors and teachers at any time. We train a number of selected students from Years 10 and 11 in well-being awareness and first aid to support their peers. Working in pairs, they offer light touch support to children in Years 7 and 8, often on waiting lists to be seen by Place2Be or CAMHS. They are not counsellors, but provide a listening ear, and signpost young people to seek support and advice from professionals. We also have a separate email account iwanttotalk@saintcecilias.london where children can privately contact us regarding any worries or concerns (school hours, term time only).

We teach all pupils and students about healthy relationships, how to report concerns and discuss and challenge misconceptions about consent in PSHE lessons, assemblies and mentor meetings. If a young person has experienced or been a victim of any sexual misconduct, we offer a comprehensive package of support in school including help and guidance from Mentors, Pupil Support Managers, our Safeguarding team, Chaplain and police liaison officer.

We are delighted to now work with Place2Be, a mental health charity that helps young people to explore their emotions and feel better about themselves. With over 28 years’ experience, Place2Be provides one-to-one counselling and group work using tried and tested methods backed by research. Place2Be is there to help our young people find ways to cope, so their worries don’t get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves. 

Saint Cecilia’s dedicated Place2Be mental health professional is Mirda Goldsmith, who works in school on Mondays and offers regular support for pupils and students who will benefit most. Place2Be provides support and advice for parents and carers, as well as teachers and school staff. Visit place2be.org.uk/family to find out more.   

If you or your child need help or support at any time, would like to book an appointment with Place2Be, or you would like more information on how we support pupil and student well-being, please contact Ms Elise Mussett.

Support out of School

We have collated a number of resources for pupils and students or parents/carers, all of which can be accessed below.

Support during school holidays

Wandsworth Local Authority outline a range of support available to young people here (please be advised that our school has not quality assured these organisations):
Family Information Service | Health and Wellbeing (wandsworth.gov.uk)

The NHS recommend the following providers (again the school has not been able to quality assure these services):
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/mental-health-support/

The school was provided with a list of organisations that can help during school holidays by its localised service providers. It includes numbers to call in an emergency or crisis and many are open to you 24/7.
Again the school has not been able to quality assure these organisations but they have been recommended to us by our support services.

Resources for pupils and students

• Kooth.com is a South-West London NHS online counselling service for young people if you prefer to text rather than talk.

• You may have heard about ‘Everyone’s Invited’, a site where young people can anonymously post incidences of sexual assault. If you need to report a crime but want to do this in confidence, Fearless, is a service you can use. It allows young people to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. This means you don't have to give them any personal details. You can also contact the new NSPCC’s helpline (0800 136 663) for people who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse in education. If you would rather email them, their address is here.

• This excellent leaflet for young people is full of information about organisations that can help you. There are email addresses, phone numbers and apps for you to use.

• Childline offers help and advice on a wide range of issues. You can call them for free on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send them an email or post on the message boards.

Click on the images below to access these two guides for pupils:

Resources for parents and carers

• For parents of our Year 7s, please click here for support on ‘surviving’ the transition.’

• If your child has a mental health emergency, contact the Crisis Duty Hotline for help. If you are concerned about an immediate risk of physical harm, call 999 or go to A&E.

• Out of school, at weekends and holidays there are various organisations you can contact if you need help or support. Access a full list here provided by CAMHS. The NHS has also supplied us with two additional lists of support for children, young people and their families. One is a list of useful contact numbers and the second is a map of all support available across the borough.

• If you are concerned about a child please email safeguarding@saintcecilias.london during term time or contact MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) for immediate year-round concerns: mash@wandsworth.gov.uk or 020 8871 6622.

• For supporting your child with general mental health information and self-care, here is a series of leaflets on stress, depression and anxiety.

• Supporting your teenager with anxiety - video from Children’s and Young People’s Wellbeing Service, SW London NHS

• Parenting teens in times of uncertainty - video from Children’s and Young People’s Wellbeing Service, SW London NHS

• If you are concerned or have seen risky or inappropriate images or content posted or shared by your child on social media, contact NSPCC, UK Safer Internet Centre, ThinkUKnow or Internet Matters. You can also contact TALK at the Internet Watch Foundation if you are concerned your child is a victim of online sexual abuse.

• Other organisations you can reach out to for support are YoungMinds, Mind and WhereToTalk, the UK guide to talking therapies.

• If a crime has been committed involving your child, always report it to the police. If it is urgent, call 999, otherwise 101 and note down the CAD (crime reference number) and pass this to the Safeguarding team (safeguarding@saintcecilias.london) at the school. If you tell us about an incident, where we feel a crime may have been committed but you have not yet reported it, we will seek support from our police liaison officer. If your child discloses information to the school about a crime, our standard safeguarding procedures apply regarding reporting the matter to children’s services via MASH@wandsworth.gov.uk and to the police. If a concern arises about the actions of a member of staff or where a professional fails to take protective action to safeguard a young person, we will also involve the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

• If you, yourself, are or have been a victim of crime, there are organisations that can support you. You can make an anonymous report to CrimeStoppers, or contact NAPAC (the National Association for People Abused in Childhood) which offers support to adult survivors of all types of childhood abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect. Or if you are suffering domestic abuse, the Wandsworth Safety Net can support you. They are an excellent service who can support families in a variety of ways and are free, independent, non-judgemental and confidential. Use this Referral Form to access their support. Their number is 020 7801 1777 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The Refuge National Domestic Violence Helpline is open 24 hours, 7 days a week at 0808 200 0247. If you are in immediate danger, always call 999.

• For parents in need of mediation or family support please get in touch with the Wandsworth Mediation Service.

• If you are worried that your child is gambling or has a gambling addiction, please contact your GP for support. The following website may also help: Gambling Commission and GamCare.