The Headstart Service is an early help and prevention model to reduce the onset of common mental health issues by building the resilience of pupils to be able to better cope with difficult circumstances.
Schools can work towards the Headstart School Quality Standards using a resilience tool based on resilience therapy. The HeadStart school standard was developed in partnership with schools and provides an incremental framework to achieve a whole school approach to improved emotional health.
Huge congratulations to St Clare’s who have recently achieved the Gold level award. Congratulations! We have worked really closely with the senior leadership team and the school Mental health Lead to implement positive changes and support in school creating a culture that is supportive to the emotional wellbeing of pupils, staff and parents.
The Mental Health lead in school chatted to us about the impact this has had in school:
‘The St Clare’s community is delighted to have received the Headstart Gold Award in recognition of the hard work and commitment we have put in to ensure the positive wellbeing for our children and also for our staff.
Having Nicola as our Headstart Officer gives us a great boost in that we can draw on her support and expertise. She has supported us with parent coffee mornings and drop in sessions as well has offering ideas and perspective on a variety of topics.
Access to the Headstart Huddle sessions ensures our children are getting the best support, tailored to their needs. Discussions with the mental health practitioners also help school staff develop their knowledge and understanding of a variety of mental health issues.
Having James Woodgate visit our school regularly, supporting children with interventions such as Super You has given our children instant access to a mental wellbeing intervention and given them the toolkits and strategies to help with the many challenges they may have in their lives.
The Headstart team have helped us to develop a robust and effective Mental Health policy and this has given all staff the confidence in knowing we are providing the best for our children and families.’
Published: October 28