Page 31 - SEN115 - November/December 2021

PMLD
About the author
Cheryl Smith is Headteacher
of the St Andrew’s College,
of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service within the St Andrew’s Healthcare site in Northampton.
■ Music therapy.
around each young person’s specific needs and recognising the experiences they have had.
Cheryl says this involves the team building trusting therapeutic relationships with each student when they are first admitted, because it is generally acknowledged that entering the hospital for the first time can be very frightening as our young people don’t know what to expect.
“A friendly face and a sympathetic ear can go a long way with these children who are understandably scared, uncertain and often lacking in hope at the beginning,” Cheryl explains.
“We’ve found the key is to engage them early, so they get used to seeing us. Once we’ve got to know the patient a bit, then we start building their bespoke programme of education around their future aspirations and individual learning and mental health needs.
‘Resilience and self-esteem’
“It’s our sole aim to develop the child as a whole person during their time with us, and we do that by focusing on the development of their resilience, self-esteem and hope for the future, alongside more formal and mainstream educational achievements.”
Despite the challenges that coronavirus has thrown at staff, they must have been doing something right as more than 170 qualifications were achieved this year alone, including a number of grade 9 GCSE results.
Now that the worst of the pandemic (hopefully) seems to be over, Cheryl is starting to look to the future. She has community plans she is hoping to roll out which will become even more vital, as the impact of the pandemic and recent lockdowns on children’s mental wellbeing begins to emerge.
“We know most people struggled with being kept at home for long periods of time, away from many of their friends and family, and it’s crucial we don’t forget the impact this may have had on our kids too, many of whom didn’t really fully understand what was going on,” Cheryl says.
“Bespoke programme of education around their future aspirations”
St Andrew’s and the school have developed a programme for other schools called The Lightbulb Mental Wellness Programme. The aim is to help schools recognise and meet the needs of children with mental health, and create a culture of positive mental well-being for their pupils and staff.
Cheryl says she firmly believes that the initiative could make a real difference to how mental health is perceived and supported in schools and could therefore have a huge impact on young lives in the future.
When asked what makes St Andrew’s so unique, Cheryl instantly replies with conviction and sincerity, so you are left in no uncertain terms just how much she cares for her students.
“We care for some of the most poorly children in the country,” she says. “And we do so with compassion, kindness and understanding, while also encouraging them to achieve the best they can in their education and develop as young people.
“It’s very easy for the children to fall through the cracks in a system which is under so much pressure in the community. We pick them up and help them to believe in themselves and to achieve their goals, whilst they get the help they so desperately need.
“We travel the recovery journey alongside them to ensure they feel safe and supported as they make progress, helping to reintegrate them back to their lives in the community. For me, that is what it’s all about helping to educate and empower these young people so they recover and live their lives to the fullest.”
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