Student Wellbeing

Emotional wellbeing is taught through our planned, spiral curriculum, ensuring students revisit and build on key skills over time.

Students learn about:

• Mental health and wellbeing
• Emotional literacy and self-awareness
• Healthy relationships
• Coping strategies and resilience
• Online safety and managing digital wellbeing

This is delivered through:

• Holistic Development lessons
• Tutor time programme
• Assemblies and themed events
• Enrichment opportunities

Our curriculum supports students to become confident, well-rounded individuals, ready for life beyond school.

We provide a graduated approach to support, ensuring that all students receive the help they need.

Universal Support

• High-quality PSHE curriculum
• Tutor and pastoral care system
• Safe, supportive school environment
• Wellbeing awareness across all subjects

Targeted Support

• Small group interventions
• Mentoring programmes
• Support from pastoral staff

Specialist Support

• Safeguarding team involvement
• Referrals to external agencies
• Partnership with mental health services

We provide access to an on-site counselling service to support students with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Our school counsellor, Mrs K Stephenson (Karen), works closely with students who may need additional support. Counselling offers a safe, non-judgemental space where students can talk openly about their thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Through this service, students can be supported to:

• Explore and understand their emotions
• Develop coping strategies
• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Manage anxiety, stress or personal challenges

Referrals can be made through the pastoral team, safeguarding team or by speaking to a trusted member of staff.

Our ELSA provision supports students in developing their emotional literacy, resilience and coping strategies.

Through planned, small-group or one-to-one sessions, students are supported to:

• Understand and manage their emotions
• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Develop positive relationships
• Learn strategies to cope with anxiety, anger or change

ELSA interventions are tailored to individual needs and form part of our early help and inclusive support offer, ensuring that barriers to learning are reduced.

The Thrive approach supports students’ social and emotional development, helping them to feel safe, supported and ready to learn.

Using a structured, needs-led approach, Thrive:

• Identifies gaps in emotional development
• Provides targeted support to build resilience
• Helps students regulate emotions and behaviour
• Promotes positive mental health and wellbeing

This provision is particularly effective in supporting students who may need additional help to engage fully in school life, reinforcing our commitment to inclusion.

As an Alliance Trailblazer School, we are part of a wider initiative to strengthen mental health support in schools.

This means we:

• Work in partnership with external mental health professionals
• Benefit from training and up-to-date guidance
• Develop a whole-school approach to wellbeing
• Ensure early identification and intervention for students in need

Being part of this programme strengthens our ability to provide high-quality, joined-up support, in line with national priorities for mental health, inclusion and personal development.

At St Michael’s Catholic Academy, we are committed to ensuring that all students feel supported, understood and able to attend school successfully.

To strengthen our approach, all staff have completed Level 1 EBSA training, ensuring a consistent, whole-school understanding of emotionally based school avoidance.

This training enables staff to:

• Recognise the early signs of EBSA
• Understand the link between anxiety and school avoidance
• Respond with empathy, consistency and appropriate support
• Adapt classroom practice to meet students’ needs

Because all staff are trained:

• Students receive consistent support across all lessons and areas of school
• Staff are confident in responding to concerns early
• Barriers to attendance are identified and addressed quickly

This ensures that students experiencing EBSA feel safe, included and supported, helping them to re-engage with learning and build confidence over time.

We work in partnership with Daisy Chain Project to provide a specialist, on-site intervention for students who may benefit from additional support with their social, emotional and communication needs.

The Daisy Chain intervention is delivered in school and supports students to:

• Develop social interaction and communication skills
• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Better understand and manage emotions
• Feel more comfortable and included within the school environment

This provision is part of our graduated and inclusive support offer, ensuring that students receive targeted help tailored to their individual needs.

The programme:

• Is delivered by trained professionals from the charity
• Works closely with school staff to ensure joined-up support
• Supports students in accessing learning and engaging positively with school life