Ark Evelyn Grace Healthy School Grant (360G-Walcot-0061E00001LDVu3QAH)

Project Title: Developing whole school Mental Health Provision Outline of Project: There is recognition that the pandemic has had a significant impact on student mental health, especially on students from poor /deprived families. There are issues on whether teachers have the necessary training to address student mental health concerns or even have the tools to detect danger signs and how to deal with their own emotion when a critical incident occurs. The aim of the project is to raise staff and student awareness of mental health and its potentially devastating impact. A further aim is for staff to realise that addressing student mental health is a whole school priority. As part of the project, we aim to create Mental Health/Wellbeing Ambassadors from all year groups and provide them with the necessary training. The grant will be used to pay for a Place-2-Be counsellor for the academic year 2022/23 and we will add the necessary funds to secure this position. Place-2-be costs more than the £30K grant awarded. We have secured the services of an Educational Psychologist (EP) for the year 2022/23 and we will use our EP?s input to ascertain whether adjustments should be made to the Strategic Plan for our whole school mental health provision. EPs are trained to look at systems of provision within an educational context.