Creating a safe environment is essential for promoting effective learning and fostering a sense of security within our school community. The wellbeing and safety of our pupils and staff is paramount, and we have a large team of staff trained to provide first aid support throughout the school day as needed. This team work closely with our families to also manage agreed medical care plans for pupils who have specific health needs or conditions.
We aspire to promote positive mental health for every member of our school community, to enable our pupils to become tenacious and resilient individuals. Through our mental health and wellbeing initiative THRIVE, we endorse opportunities for both staff and pupils to be recognised, listened to and valued, ensuring mental health and wellbeing are a visible part of our everyday conversation and community.
We want staff and pupils to understand that mental health and wellbeing is an integral part of our everyday lives and it determines our capacity to respond to and cope with the normal stresses of life. As such, at Chase Terrace Academy, we take seriously the provision of mental health support.
All staff are trained to recognise early warning signs of mental ill health and specially trained Mental Health First Aiders are able to provide targeted guidance to individuals. Pupil mental health is also advocated for by our team of pupil Wellbeing Ambassadors who offer a safe space for their peers to access support and reassurance. Our ambassadors champion the wellbeing of their peers by providing practical strategies to cope with the stresses of school life, a compassionate ear to listen to concerns and a voice to express their needs.
Knowing there were teachers who cared about our mental health as much as our grades made all the difference when we were sitting our GCSE’s. Knowing I had that support made all the difference in achieving the grades I needed.”
– Ellie, Year 12 pupil
By providing comprehensive first aid provision and a range of mental health support, we are able to prioritise the well-being, safety and inclusivity of all our pupils. We strive to create an environment where pupils feel supported, cared for and empowered to attend school and thrive academically and personally. The school operates a ‘first day’ absence monitoring system and employs the services of an external agency (VIP Education) to strengthen further the level of support and remediation for pupil absence from school. Persistent absence has a serious impact on achievement and is therefore taken very seriously.