Pupil Support & Wellbeing

Support services

The Class Teacher plays a vital role in providing continuity and cohesion to the student’s experience of school life, guiding and supporting the personal, academic and wider achievement of each individual student within the form. The tutor is also the first point of contact by parents and is the primary link between home and school. All staff are involved in the process of monitoring, guiding and supporting students’ learning as they progress through the school, as well as helping them to prepare for further education and careers.

We have an additional role:

A Family Support Worker (FSW) to support the holistic aspects of development for pupils. Sarah works directly with families, in partnership with other agencies, to deliver and provide services to children, young people and families as their needs dictate to ensure the welfare of children and people is safeguarded.

We also have an internal multi-disciplinary team comprising of the FSW, Thrive practitioner and My Wellbeing Lead, Assistant Principal, HLTA in charge of behaviour and a mental health first aider for staff and children.

Alongside all pastoral support we have the MBA positive behaviour policy. At the Martin Bacon Academy, we believe that all pupils have the right to be in a safe, sociable, orderly and non-threatening environment every day. We recognise that the needs of our pupils sometimes result in them presenting us with behaviours which challenge. However, it is important to us that we see all behaviour as a method of communication. At MBA we follow the STEPs approach to behaviour support. Steps is a therapeutic approach to positive behaviour management and is already well established in many of our education settings and services.

The Steps approach is based on the following principles:

Shared focus on inclusion of all pupils within the academy
A shared set of values and beliefs
Open and shared communication
A shared commitment to diversion and de escalation
Shared risk management and risk reduction
Shared reparation, reflection and restoration

All staff at the Martin Bacon Academy will receive training in behaviour management, these include Step on and Restorative Approaches.

Additional Support for Mental Health

Mental health and well-being are important because we recognise that a rounded education is about the ‘whole child’. Meridian Trust schools are places where students are not only encouraged to flourish academically but are also supported throughout all of the challenges of their lifelong journey.

As a member of Meridian Trust we are committed to working towards the achievement of the Carnegie Centre of Excellence Mental Health Award* and as such we will be sharing our progress with you. The award aims to:

Improve the overall school environment to strengthen the mental health of students, staff and parents
Reduce the risks of future mental health difficulties impact on the future lives of students
Enable and enhance the full potential of all pupils
Ensure schools are using evidence-based approaches that align to professional and government guidelines
Provide a developmental framework to the school can make realistic improvements in the mental health of students, staff and the community

Personal, Social, Health, Education (PHSE) lessons are delivered within each Academy following Statutory recommendations and additional content appropriate to local context.

However, we want to do more.

Over the coming months each Academy has made a commitment to developing and implementing mindfulness, self-awareness, empathy and resilience building interventions for students and staff, as appropriate to their cohort and the needs of their pupils. Through this provision we aim to ensure we are equipping students and staff with a range of tools and techniques to encourage self-help and build skills that they can draw upon in times of challenge or difficulty.

We recognise that on occasion parents and families need guidance and support to help them and have a family support worker to carry out this important task:

Understand children’s and young people’s mental health and its impact on their behaviour and learning
Understand the impact of their own behaviour and attitudes on their children
Respond mindfully to and manage their children and young people’s behaviour positively
Understand how to support and stimulate learning at home

https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-education/research/carnegie-centre-of-excellence-for-mental-health-in-schools/school-mental-health-award/

Student support services

The form tutor plays a vital role in providing continuity and cohesion to the student’s experience of school life, guiding and supporting the personal, academic and wider achievement of each individual student within the form. The tutor is also the first point of contact by parents and is the primary link between home and school. A tutor is involved in the process of monitoring, guiding and supporting students’ learning as they progress through the school, as well as helping them to prepare for further education and careers.

We also have a Family Support Worker at MBA to support the holistic aspects of development for pupils.

Purpose of the role

To work directly with families, in partnership with other agencies, to deliver and provide services to children, young people and families as their needs dictate to ensure the welfare of children and people is safeguarded.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To liaise with the SLT/SENCo in order to identify those children who would benefit most from family support work & create an appropriate action plan.
To establish and maintain positive working relationships with other agencies and the local community, including health, early help and social care, and voluntary and community sector providers
To instigate and maintain positive relationships with families.
To sign post families and refer to single agency support if needed.
To ensure records and files are kept up to date relating to case work you are dealing with
To link with members of the leadership team to ensure actions from CiN Meetings and CP Meetings are in place.
To promote an open-door policy for families, including meeting children and families for adhoc or short-term interventions.
To meet and maintain contact with the families of the vulnerable pupils who have been identified for support, to gain insight into the family and provide parenting strategies when required.
To run supportive parenting groups for parents of children at Martin Bacon Academy
To plan resources and support for the needs of parents and carers.
Collate qualitative and quantitative data when required, share information sensitively and maintain records to facilitate monitoring and evaluation.
Under the direction of the Head Teacher, annually review the impact of the FSW role on support and outcomes for our families and set targets for development.

Additional Responsibilities

Attend and/or lead CP related meetings when appropriate.
Liaise with appropriate outside agencies to support the identified children and families, following advice given.
When appropriate, to refer on to alternative interventions or agencies outside of school, such as CAMHs/Education Welfare Service
Carry out home visits when appropriate.
Attend relevant training linked to the FSW role as agreed with line manager.
Work alongside the SLT to maintain a consistent approach to family support across the school.
Support children within the classroom environment when appropriate.
Implement interventions along with outside agencies, to plan and evaluate these.
Be motivated and work positively and professionally within the pastoral support team.
Carry out other duties as outlined by the Head Teacher pertinent to the post and needs of the school.
Find solutions and overcome challenges.

Alongside all pastoral support we have the MBA positive behaviour policy. This policy is in addition to the Trusts Behaviour statement of principles; (the policy can be found on the schools’ website)

At the Martin Bacon Academy, we believe that all pupils have the right to be in a safe, sociable, orderly and non-threatening environment every day. We recognise that the needs of our pupils sometimes result in them presenting us with behaviours which challenge. However, it is important to us that we see all behaviour as a method of communication. At MBA we follow the STEPs approach to behaviour support. Steps is a therapeutic approach to positive behaviour management and is already well established in many of our education settings and services.