Student Support Services
Hello, my name is Mr Brent and I am the Mental Health Lead and Librarian here at Whickham school.
Here at Whickham school we are passionate about ensuring that everyone is supported to cope with anything that they may face within their day to day lives. With this in mind we aim to provide as many opportunities for students to be supported through various means.
I provide support to our students through guidance of what they can access and I raise awareness throughout the school through groups and assemblies.
The Library acts as a safe space within the school for all years and offers support through various events and workshops. Staff in the Library are friendly and always there to help and support any students.
Our pastoral staff are all Mental Health First Aiders meaning that they are aware of common Mental Health issues and know how to help and support any individual that requires this.
The school also has access to the rise team with two Emotional Mental Health practitioners who provide individual and group support to promote mentally healthy minds.
We also have a section on our website with various links and apps that can help towards wellbeing.
We have a dedicated team to help. Below is information about who they are and what they do.
Mrs Brown
I offer support on any concerns that students may have from friendship conflicts to safeguarding. My role is to ensure students feel safe and happy in school. Students can email me at any time, see me at breaks or lunchtime or ask their head of year to refer them.
Mrs McPherson
I offer support with safeguarding and child protection. My role is to ensure that all students feel happy and safe in school and out of it. I liaise with Heads of Years, teachers, support staff, parents, carers and all external agencies to ensure that students have all they need to be happy and safe. I also oversee all the Looked After Children (LACS) in school. Students can contact me directly/via e-mail or through Heads of Year.
Mrs Mackie
Experiencing a mental health problem in childhood is one of the biggest barriers to achieving well-being. Counselling in schools has been shown to be a highly effective support for young people who are experiencing emotional health difficulties. As the counsellor in Whickham School I offer the young person one to one sessions where they are able to talk about and explore whatever is troubling them. I use an eclectic mix of tools to help the young person get the maximum out of the session whether this be CBT, mindfulness or even the use of art therapy. I work in conjunction with the wellbeing team in Whickham. I am a qualified counsellor having both a counselling degree and a master’s degree and 15 years of working within schools as a counsellor. I am also a registered member of the BACP and work within their ethical guidelines.
Mrs Tillet-Hayes
My name is Mrs Tillett-Hayes and I am responsible for whole school attendance. We have high expectations at Whickham School with pupils aiming for at least 98%. There’s a proven link between regularly attending school and great exam results. I work with families and pupils to offer support and interventions to ensure that every pupil can maximise their chance of success.
I’m looking forward to celebrating excellent attendance with you with our exciting prizes and rewards.
We are passionate at Whickham to ensure that students are the best that they can be and we know that in order to achieve that it is vital that we provide the support needed. If you are ever unsure of what support can be offered, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Mr Bolam
Hello, I’m Mr Bolam and I am the Behaviour Inclusion Support manager. My team supports pupils and families so that the children we help can achieve their potential. My team works within the classrooms in Behaviour Inclusion Support and we also support pupils in their lessons. We work with pupils so they fully engage with the school ethos whilst enjoying and experiencing a full and rewarding school life.
The Rise Team – Supporting Young People with the Emotional Wellbeing
The RISE team work into schools in Newcastle and Gateshead to support young people with their emotional wellbeing.
Hi, we are Hannah and Lucy. As part of the RISE team we support children and young people across many schools in Gateshead including Whickham and the primary schools in this area.
We know that school is full of positive, exciting experiences but that it can also sometimes be difficult too for different reasons. Moving to a new school can bring with it changes that may make you feel excited, worried or overwhelmed. Our job is to support young people to learn about, explore and develop strategies to support their positive wellbeing.
We are friendly, approachable and will offer young people a safe space to chat about how they are feeling and what is going on in their lives. We will work together with young people to help them to find some strategies that can help.
Usually we can be found in Room 21 in Whickham School. If you would like to find out more about us you can visit our website at https://www.rise-ne.co.uk/ where we have information of places and things that can help.