Exam stress in students – how to plan for success
Revision expert and founder of the Tassomai learning program, Murray Morrison has helped thousands of students to prepare for exams. Here he explains how managing stress is the key to success. If you can spot the signs early, then there’s time to make the difference… The underlying theme of nearly every revision session I taught was to emphasise the importance of knowledge. But it wasn’t knowledge of all the facts on the syllabus – it was knowledge of self. Where are your gaps? Where are your strongest topics? Which ones are the priority to fix? When – and how – are we going to tackle them? Seeing stress in students was something I was very used to: many of my students were referred to me by psychotherapists specialising in teen anxiety. My job as I saw it was not to spoon-feed them with lessons and tutoring, rather it was to show them how to self-regulate, put together a plan that was manageable, attainable and sustainable and help them to execute it by themselves. Among the myriad troubles a teenager faces, exams or the preparation for them is a big one. At the crux of it is the issue of not knowing what they don’t know: this builds a nebulous dread, recognising that there’s work to do but not knowing where to start. Conversely, students also not knowing what they do know is a problem: they often know more than they think, and are missing out on giving themselves a little confidence-building credit. This is the foundation of the software I built, Tassomai – by using adaptive quizzing with immediate feedback, students can build a practice routine that helps them quickly find gaps and fill them – and do so without relying too much on outside help. But that’s just one part of what’s needed for a truly healthy revision program. If schools are trying to support parents in helping their children’s revision, I’d advise they give the following advice: recognise the signs, open up communications, go through the textbooks and syllabuses together to map out where the problems are, and help them to put together a plan for success. First, can parents recognise the signs of revision stress in amongst the normal behaviours of a teenager? Avoidance Students who, when exams or revision are mentioned, bury their heads in the sand are displaying classic avoidance behaviour. They might change the subject completely, or they might find a subtle excuse to get out of the room and stop the conversation. Do not waste time in confronting this behaviour. Revision-avoiders need to make a plan and they will need a bit of help to do it. Avoiding the problem means that revision work will pile up and stress will increase. Confronting it, though mildly traumatic at first, will defuse the situation and they can start to feel like their work will genuinely bear fruit. Aggression With similar motivations to the avoidance tactics, but dealing with the stress a little more aggressively, acting spikily, shouting or slamming doors and storming out. The approach must be similar – conversation, a bit of analysis together and putting a plan of work together – but proceed with caution to avoid damaging the chances of progress. Have faith however, that by doing the initial work, the underlying issues that caused the aggressive behaviour will dissolve a little, and life for all will be much more agreeable. Overworking Seeing this behaviour you might initially count yourself lucky or feel there’s no problem. Students who keep themselves busy, who are motivated and diligent and who stay up late revising with extra practice papers may seem to be on top of it all. However, this behaviour may indicate a lack of confidence and a tendency to worry. Take time to make sure that they’re addressing everything they need to focus on. Overworkers have been known to keep revising their best subjects and hide the problem areas out of mind. Make sure also that they’re keeping things in perspective – they might benefit from limited or regulated revision times and a bit more time for R&R. Passivity A problem among higher-achievers – some students seem to have it all under control, but whenever you look at them, they’re lying around not doing much. It can be hard, if you’ve never struggled in school to know how to ask for help – or from whom. Talk to them to find out whether they are truly feeling positive. Acknowledge that they’ve been doing very well so far, but ask if there aren’t just one or two things they’d like to get help with. If nothing else, a couple of practice papers to get them fit and ready for the big day might be positive. It could justify the confidence or reveal one or two topics for final polish. Distraction Finally, that student who spends much of their revision time on seemingly highly-productive but not-terribly-useful work. In exam stress terms, this is the student who is always very busy with superficial tasks like colouring in notes or organising files and revision plans. This feels like a combination of overworking and avoidance – but students with this profile are in a sense well ahead of the curve, because their notes will be brilliantly organised and ready. Nevertheless, they would benefit enormously from some outside help: work constructively to set a goal for each revision session, and check in regularly to track what has been achieved and how valuable the session was, and find a way to chart that information so that they can see how far they’ve come. All students, whether they conform to these examples or not, are likely to improve their psychological preparedness for exams with a few straightforward actions, and these are done most healthily if parents or friends are able to support. The single best thing to be done in dealing with exam stress is to work out quickly where the strengths and the weaknesses lie in each subject, make a plan around that analysis and constantly check and
New Mental Health & Wellbeing Show introduced to Cardiff for May 2020!
Popular award-winning training and events company, Ajuda, have created a brand-new event taking place in May 2020 at Cardiff City Stadium – the Mental Health & Wellbeing Show. The event will take place on Thursday 21st May, which falls during the national campaign of Mental Health Awareness Week (18th to 24th May). An event of this kind is much-needed not only in Wales but across the UK, as according to Mental Health charity Mind “1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year”. The team at Ajuda want this issue to be addressed and highlighted as much as possible, which inspired them to create this new event. Benefits of Attending Gain knowledge and skills from our 30+ seminar sessions Browse over 50 organisations at our exhibition Network with hundreds of professionals dealing within the mental health & wellbeing sector Free resources, discounts and offers available at the exhibition. Being part of one of Wales’ biggest mental health & wellbeing events. The show will include a selection of seminars focused on topics such as coping with mental illness, ways to promote positive mental health, and how to support people around you who are suffering with ill mental health. Alongside this is an exhibition with over 50 charities, organisations and companies promoting their helpful resources, services and initiatives designed to support positive mental health and wellbeing. To enter the exhibition is free, with seminar tickets costing just £10 each. Speakers on the day include: Andy Lewis MBE, Paralympic Triathlon Gold Medallist at the Rio Olympics, who will present a session on Anxiety and ADHD. School Wellbeing Experts Kelly Hannaghan & Kate O’Connor will run a session on Steps to wellbeing in education Recent MBE recipient Rhian Mannings, founder of the 2 Wish Upon a Star charity who will speak on bereavement. Bollywood star Samira Mohamed Ali, who will run a seminar on meditation and breathing exercises. The full programme can be viewed here. Some exhibitors already confirmed to attend are: Remploy Wales Trauma Informed Schools Jigsaw PSHE Mind Cymru The Autism Directory National Autism Team Zero Suicide Alliance & more which can be viewed here. Company director Dawn Evans says: “Following a number of smaller courses and events around the topic of mental health, we could see there was a clear need for a bigger and more extensive event around mental health and wellbeing in Wales and across the rest of the UK. The team at Ajuda always strive to provide our customers with the training and events that really matter to them, so we decided to create an event to accommodate the rising need for mental health and wellbeing training.” Tickets can be ordered on Eventbrite, or by contacting the Ajuda Events team on 02922 400382 or via email on events@ajuda.org.uk
Raising child self-esteem takes patience
Andrea Chatten, the founder of mental health service Unravel, is the Lead Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychologist and author of The Blinks novels. Here, she discusses raising child self-esteem and its effect on behaviour… I have always been fascinated in children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. Starting out as a teacher, I recognised that, although it was my role to educate them in maths, English and the ten plus subjects that they needed to be taught, but these children needed more. I felt passionate and committed to help these children understand some of the difficult and complex feelings that they were experiencing, and which hugely affected their well-being. No matter how clever they had the potential to be, unless they received lots of emotional understanding and different ways of doing things, these kids could miss out on the most important thing we want for children – happiness. When I became a parent I found myself challenged with the level of responsibility and pressure to ensure that my children did not become as emotionally vulnerable as some of the children who I had worked with for many years. Parenting was by far the most difficult job that I had done as it was the most important. Don’t get me wrong the love and commitment I had for my class really wasn’t much different to what I felt for my own children but this role was about me helping my children evolve from the blank canvas that they were born as. As parents, carers and teachers, we are fundamental in how our child’s canvas develops. How much colour is present? How much grey? How the colours are dispersed, how bright those colours are and more importantly how appealing the final product is within our culture. Raising children with good self-esteem takes patience, huge, regular bundles of patience, as children translate patience into love. Patience means being gentle. Patience makes us listen more actively. Patience means we find time in this crazy fast world to stop and just be in the moment with our children. This love then becomes locked away inside of children and activates a core message that runs through them like a stick of rock. In order for children to develop a good level of self-esteem the message needs to be positive – “I am ok. I’m not perfect, I have faults but I am ok. I am worthy of love.” Reading this may make you feel pressured as it is your job and you, like every champion of the children in your care has made mistakes. You too just need to be ok, not perfect, you have flaws and bad days too. I had to have a serious word with myself when both my children were small. Coping day to day with sleep deprivation, a hungry breastfeeding baby and a toddler was tough. Some days I was not the best Mum. As I had only ever worked with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, it seemed so easy to mess up children and damage their self-esteem. Please let me reassure you now it isn’t that easy. Long term damage to self-esteem develops over time. Not from a bad day here and there, though how we re-engage with our child afterwards is essential. Apologies and explanations mean we take responsibility for negative actions and don’t leave them with the child. It also means that we model real emotions and make mistakes a normal part of being human. If we don’t re-connect emotionally afterwards, that can make children feel like it is their fault and they aren’t good enough. It is this internal dialogue that can begin the spiral of low self-esteem. Children’s self-esteem starts with us. We have to find as many ways to show children that we not only love them but like them. Also, it is essential that if our children have pushed us into going off them, that this stage is only ever temporary and we the adults get back on them as soon as possible. Children are highly sensitive to this emotional withdrawal and that too fosters low self-esteem. Raising children with good self-esteem is not difficult if we practise positive interactions and keep reflecting throughout the process. None us are perfect but with love, patience, and emotional warmth our children’s canvases can be bright, colourful and most of all happy. Top tips to help support your child’s emotional well-being 1. Get in sync – emotional connection is key. It is normal to disconnect with our children, life is demanding. However, when children don’t feel positively connected to us, it impacts on their well-being which is often communicated by negative behaviours 2. Communicate as much as possible from as early as possible. Talking with each other is how we learn, and problem solve, and it starts younger than we once thought. If you want to be having meaningful conversations with your teenager’s start being open and honest when they are two or three. 3. Listen to what your children tell you – they will teach us. It can be difficult hearing hurtful things from our children, but they are telling us what they need. Don’t hear what they say actively listen. 4. Avoid general praise – be specific. Avoid using words like good and bad with kids. This can negatively impact on identity and well-being. Instead reward and praise the action, progress or value. They are less likely to reject this kind of praise and it fosters healthier self-esteem 5. Keep reflecting. The only difference between a positive parent and a negative parent is reflection. It certainly won’t stop us making mistakes, but we might make fewer mistakes and certainly not keep making the same ones! 6. Help children to name and claim emotions. Our emotions are designed to keep us alive. We must acknowledge them otherwise the brain will turn the volume up on them meaning we feel emotions much more intensely. Once we name them our brain relaxes in the hope, we will then do
We must get children moving more to boost mental wellbeing
For too long, the system has treated physical and mental health as separate entities. This Children’s Mental Health Week, Imogen Buxton-Pickles, Co-Founder of ‘Netflix-style’ schools active learning and PE resource imoves, says activity needs to be a key part of the resilience toolbox we equip students with to improve their daily and life-long wellbeing. Mental health is a complex issue, and even more so when we’re talking about the emotional wellbeing of children and young people. There are many people who have a part to play in tackling problems when they arise – including parents, health professionals and of course teachers too. With teachers spending large amounts of time with their pupils, and helping shape their futures in so many ways, it can feel as though a large proportion of the burden when it comes to identifying and then solving mental health and wellbeing problems is placed on them. Building resilience, teaching young people to effectively deal with stress, maximising their mental wellbeing, and minimising the potential impact of any current or future diagnosable mental health problem requires equipping them with a toolbox of coping mechanisms. But how do we do this when time is already so stretched with everything else which is required of schools? And what should be in that toolbox? A key element which is often overlooked when we talk about children’s mental health is the amount of physical exercise they’re getting, with the two often treated as separate topics. We all know there are Government guidelines to aspire to when it comes to daily activity levels (60 minutes a day, half of which should be achieved during school time), and equally we know getting active has a wholly positive impact on anyone’s wellbeing. The direct benefits linked to activity (which I have seen first-hand within the 600 schools in the imoves family) include better concentration, enhanced motivation, and a boost in emotional resilience, social skills and confidence. The impact of improving all these simply cannot be underestimated when it comes to mental health. Of course, it’s not a magic solution and won’t always cure diagnosable conditions. But it can build the inherent coping skills needed for pupils to face the stresses of school and later life in the most positive way possible. And it can help to minimise the symptoms of depression, anxiety and other illnesses such as poor sleep, poor motivation, and a lack of self-esteem. And yet with so many demands on the time available at school and so many aspects of children’s lives which teachers are tasked with positively impacting, physical activity can easily slide down the scale of importance, relegated to a session or two within the week rather than being fully incorporated into every aspect of the timetable. But physically active children will see both short- and long-term benefits. In the short term, they will see an immediate boost to their mental wellbeing and feeling of happiness in the classroom – this goes for teachers who join in with being active in the classroom as well! Activity increases levels of the ‘happiness hormone’ serotonin, as well as increased levels of dopamine and noradrenaline which improves motivation, perception and focus. As a result, the children will immediately feel more motivated, focused on learning and behave better even after just a few minutes of activity. In addition, the activity also provides an opportunity to develop the supporting tools required for mental wellbeing; be they communication, teamwork, resilience, confidence and social wellness as the children work with each other. In the long-term, inspiring a passion for physical activity – whether that be dance, Pilates, football, anything which they might enjoy and keep up with during later life – is a vital component for that wellbeing and resilience toolbox. Working with schools to incorporate movement into every lesson – perhaps a few stretches when a class is struggling to focus during the afternoon lull, an active game when students are answering maths questions, or a five-minute warm-up to start the day off in assembly – has a huge impact not only on their physical health, but every other aspect of their holistic wellbeing too. It’s such a simple concept – albeit that teachers need the confidence and support materials to be able to implement the programme into the school day – but it has the ability to transform the way pupils approach school, how they think about exercise, and the way they feel about themselves. In short, it adds a lifelong skill to their toolbox. Opening the doors of possibility by making activity a key part of pupils’ lives early on means they will hopefully use going for a walk, dancing, or visiting the gym as respite from the pressures of life throughout their adult years too. So, rather than seeing exercise as a chore, it’s seen as a positive outlet for stress. It’s estimated an overwhelming 50 per cent of mental health problems are established by the time a child is 14, and ten per cent of children aged between five and 16 have a diagnosable mental health problem. Sadly, these numbers are on the increase – and we know from the Children’s Society that 70% of children experiencing poor mental health have not had appropriate interventions from an early age. To begin reversing the growing numbers of young people impacted, we need to ensure their wellbeing toolbox is full to the brim of useful coping mechanisms – to coincide with any professional support which may be needed. Reaping the emotional benefits of physical activity is a huge part of that toolbox and incorporating regular movement into every classroom schedule goes a long way towards helping them understand the link between their physical and mental health. It’s our duty to equip pupils with coping mechanisms, and the importance and impact of activity simply must not be overlooked,” Imogen Buxton-Pickles. Webinar For more information about how to support mental wellbeing in your classroom, please visit imoves to access a 45-minute webinar which will
Why mental health support for teachers must begin in the training year
The prominence and importance of mental health provision is growing in schools – both for pupils and staff – and we are living and breathing the rhetoric around it. In order for teachers to best support children in their care, looking out for their own wellbeing is of the utmost importance, but related support for them should begin within Initial Teacher Training (ITT). It was back in February last year that I first raised this publicly as a necessity. Speaking to NASBTT’s members – primarily School-Centred ITT providers and School Direct Lead Schools – I was hearing first-hand about a new generation of troubled teachers who needed help. Through my own investigation I discovered that in some local authority areas, up to 78% of child and adolescent mental health service referrals were turned away during the period in which last year’s trainees were pupils. There was a clear correlation and worrying pattern emerging. One of the things that concerns me greatly within teacher training is that we are increasingly seeing the trainee teachers themselves presenting with increasing mental health issues. Some of the adolescents, therefore, who fell through the cracks at school are now coming back as adults into an environment where they were first exposed to these feelings of anxiety, mental health issues and exam pressures. Teacher training is a very intense year, and they are going back into schools and presenting quite severe mental health issues. These are people being asked to look after the mental health of the children in their care. If you are not able to take care of your own mental health, it makes you less able to be responsive to the mental health of the children in your class. Last year I took part in the Royal Foundation’s ‘Mental Health in Education’ conference exploring the key issues and barriers around mental health, what teachers need to know and the level of training required, and how to overcome the challenges and support and encourage providers of ITT and NQT training to focus on mental health. This has been the catalyst to two key developments. Firstly, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who was involved in the event, and her charity’s staff were interested in receiving more quantitative data to support our observations so we reached out to our members to find out what change over the past three years they have encountered in the frequency and severity of mental health issues presenting in their trainees. As a result we are now working with the Royal Foundation on advice and guidance on mental health and wellbeing of children for all trainee teachers. Secondly, we have devised our own Establishing a Counselling, Wellbeing and Mental Health First Aid Provision for Trainee Teachers programme, which has been extremely well received. It is pleasing to see this issue getting the attention that is required, and we look forward to giving even more exposure to our practical solutions this year, not least through our ‘Essential Guides for Early Career Teachers’ book series. Emma Hollis is Executive Director of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT)
How to tackle anxiety and mental health in school
What can schools do about the increasing issue of anxiety and other mental health issues that many children are now suffering from? This is an important question for all schools and educators. Beverly Smalley, Education Specialist at TTS Group, looks at ways teachers can recognise the issues at hand and what they can do to effectively support those suffering. In a recent survey of wellbeing by PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) for children aged 15, the UK came 38th out of 48 countries in terms of how happy they felt. This shows the scale of the issue at hand – which begs the question: In our relatively affluent society, what is causing these problems? Why are young people so unhappy and why does it seem to be an increasing factor for this particular generation? Looking at the facts – there seem to be two major differences between now and the previous generation: social media and heightened school pressures. Social media The biggest and most obvious difference is the rise and absolute dominance of social media. This is almost certainly a factor in the mental health decline we are seeing. It can lead to anxiety in so many ways and with the rise of influencers, young people are constantly comparing themselves and everything they do with celebrities and their lavish lifestyle, leaving many feeling worthless. As social media platforms are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – it is almost impossible to get away from, with many only really switching off once they are asleep. School pressures In the UK, we test children from the minute they start school and assess them on an almost daily basis. Many young children are given excessive amounts of homework very early with a vast curriculum, which is simply overwhelming to students. Things like being graded and scored against other students and can be a source of embarrassment for some students who don’t perform as well in written examinations or when under extreme pressure. Schools and teachers are also under a great amount of pressure from the government and because of this, around one in five teachers (18%) are expected to leave the classroom in less than two years and two-fifths of teachers, school leaders and support staff want to quit in the next five years – blaming “out of control” workload pressures and “excessive” accountability, according to a poll by the country’s biggest teaching union. A number of teachers agree that the UK should adopt the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence which puts wellbeing at the heart of learning, stating: ‘The responsibilities of all include each practitioner’s role in establishing open, positive, supportive relationships across the school community, where children and young people will feel that they are listened to, and where they feel secure in their ability to discuss sensitive aspects of their lives; in promoting a climate in which children and young people feel safe and secure; in modelling behaviour which promotes health and wellbeing and encouraging it in others; through using learning and teaching methodologies which promote effective learning; and by being sensitive and responsive to the wellbeing of each child and young person’ They also like the idea of each child having a specific member of staff for each child who they can rely on in any situation but specifically for mental health and resilience help. Although, this is difficult to really put into practice. With the ever-growing concerns about mental health, let’s hope that schools somehow manage to make it more of a priority despite the huge external pressures they are under; not just giving a nod to it or ticking another box, but so that pupils know their concerns and wellbeing really are taken seriously. It’s too late for my daughter; she will look back on those formative years and feel the school system failed her. There must be change or we are stacking up huge problems for the future.
The importance of workshops in the school environment
Workshops are extremely important in a school environment to promote pupils’ wellbeing and increase awareness of topics. Here, Richard Fitzgerald, the head teacher at Langdon Park School, discusses how workshops are valuable for students, staff and parents as well as highlighting how workshops in the future must become proactive by nature. Currently, in the UK, the picture of youths’ wellbeing and mental health remains patchy and overall quite bleak, with an estimated one in ten children estimated to have been clinically diagnosed with either a mental health disorder and/or emotional or behavioural problems, according to the BBC. Suicide remains one of the three most common causes of death amongst youngsters and the prominent rise of social media has allowed for new problems to emerge such as cyberbullying, which can, of course, contribute to emotional and mental health problems. It has been suggested that Government policy has not reflected the need to focus on children’s wellbeing especially with the removal of criteria from Ofsted reports to monitor how well schools promote students’ health or personal development. The London School of Economics has suggested that schools, in recent years, have been called to take up a ‘protective’ role that traditionally the families and communities have always undertaken. Finding the balance of this role can be tricky, yet one way in which schools can remain vigilant in promoting pupils’ wellbeing is through workshops that can be provided throughout the school terms. Workshops allow for key information to be distributed with support available if necessary, whilst also informing the traditional protectors of children (the families and communities) of the same information and support. All schools should share the same ethos that every child deserves to be happy, safe and successful at school. This can be the tone that permeates every aspect of school life and can be shown to be one of the key determinants of wellbeing and mental health in schools. Pupils who have better health have been shown to be better educated, so anything that can promote pupil wellbeing will benefit the pupil, family, community and ultimately the school itself as it provides an opportunity to improve the achievement levels of a pupil. This clearly highlights the need for workshops surrounding wellbeing and mental health in schools. Although many are present on a national level, it has been suggested that these are too reactive in their nature. They are addressing issues that have already emerged and often occur long after an issue has arisen within the school or in society. It is therefore important for schools to provide workshops of a preventative and/or proactive nature as the most effective interventions are those that take place early on. This is because they can help students, parents or teachers identify any issues and equally prevent or minimise the effects from escalating whether this is a mental health issue or bullying in the classroom. At Langdon Park School, we recognise the need for proactive workshops. We have held sessions surrounding mental health for both our pupils and parents as we are aware that early intervention and support networks can really help our community. From our recent mental health workshop, nearly three-quarters of pupils who had requested help for their mental health issues went to their teachers first. In addition to this, there was a significant number of parents making self-referrals to receive counselling. Workshops are important within school environments to promote wellbeing and happiness for our pupils, but also for raising awareness within the community in general. They provide the right guidance and advice to support everyone involved without taking away the ‘protective’ role which parents and the community are responsible for – they just provide the helping hand when needed.
Unravel – A holistic psychology service which supports pupils, school and families
Andrea Chatten is the Managing Director & Lead Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychologist at Unravel. She is also the author of The Blinks novels supporting children’s well-being. Here, she discusses the work that psychology service Unravel does with children, their teachers and their families… How long has Unravel been practising? Unravel – a Children’s Emotional & Behavioural Psychology Service was borne in September 2014 and was quickly embraced by schools and parents who were in desperate need for bespoke intervention during highly emotional and challenging times. I knew that there was a service missing in Sheffield and the UK in order to translate and transform the behaviours that children present and to help recognise the needs to help each young person develop positively. Working with ages 5-16 has given us a deep understanding of developmental psychology and the expertise to help children and their families when behaviours are becoming a problem. Unravel recently celebrated its 5th birthday. Over this period, we have grown into a team of 14 amazing staff who are passionate and committed to improving children’s emotional well-being. Who needs Unravel? Unravel is for any child, family or school whereby negative emotions are impacting on well-being and quality of life. Growing up is hard but unless we interrupt the emotional cycle, these issues gain momentum across the lifespan and transcend into cross-generational concerns. The issues children are presenting with now, are more apparent and due to increased awareness, and lack of available services, we are dutybound to help them and as soon as possible. At Unravel we work with the whole child and help them to name and claim emotions, interrupt negative thinking patterns, gain invaluable insight and learn essential strategies to drive positive change. We work with any emotional issue that are causing problems to self-esteem and positive childhood experiences. How do headteachers get in touch with Unravel? Visit our website and have a look in more detail about the impact we have and what others have said about us. We pride ourselves on adapting to every school’s individual need so can create and tailor packages to meet logistical and financial restraints. Once we have fully discussed the way we will work together, we can begin getting the practical things in place to ensure our time with the children and young people in your school runs as smoothly as possible. We will also provide an impact report at the end of each academic year or intervention which feeds into your evaluation of the service and into correlated data to provide to Ofsted. Can anyone access Unravel? We are moving slowly and steadily across the country. Although we are based in Sheffield, private clients have travelled from as far as Edinburgh and London to access our services. We have also worked with children and young people internationally via skype. We aim to have Unravel available to wherever needs us, so get in touch and we will see what we can do. Mental health is becoming more widely understood by pupils, parents and teachers – but is there still more to be done? We haven’t even started yet. Accessing services to support children’s emotional well-being shouldn’t take 18 months but it often does and that is being optimistic. We term this as societal child abuse. No child should feel distressed or suicidal for half an hour longer than they need too. We need to get to children whilst they are psychologically “ripe” in order to prevent greater problems arising on top of the original issues causing emotional imbalance. What could school leaders do to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of pupils is really a priority in school? School leaders know that mental health is a priority in school as it presents many challenges every day. The knock-on effect also impacts on staff well-being, learning outcomes, costly permanent exclusion penalties and ultimately exam results and future prospects. Often, the schools we work in not only feel a benefit because of the work we are doing with the children and young people, but they also are able to feel a sense of relief as someone is doing the work that they feel out of their depth with. Schools are educational organisations but the demands to become experts in such a complex and sensitive area often brings heightened stress and concern. Schools are in safe hands with Unravel we will take that burden and pressure of you. Could you give a short case study of a pupil, their school and family who have been helped by Unravel? I once worked with a Y9 pupil who tried to commit suicide in school. This person had over many years masked what he was really feeling and tried to be what he thought he should be. Luckily, I was able to work with him straight away. This young person was in severe emotional distress and had many undiagnosed conditions that complicated the situation further. We worked together every week, sometimes twice a week for just over two years. Over this time, he began developing possible psychosis and so I was able to contact CAMHS and explain what was happening and find out where he was in the referral system since his suicide attempt. He was still 6 months away from being seen but they understood my concern and fast-tracked him through. Sadly, this young person’s parents did not want to accept the reality of the issues and so avoided appointments and he was consequently struck off. The young person and I were on our own, but we just kept going. Over time, he learned many strategies, which he tells me he still uses today. We challenged bias thinking patterns, engaged in mindfulness, relaxation. Applied neuroscience to help him understand his brain which also gave him the “why’s” which he needed to stick at things on more difficult days. By the time he left in Y11, he received the most outstanding pupil award. This intervention cost the school just over £4000 over two
Rocking Ur Teens – events for your teenage students
Founded in 2015, Rocking Ur Teens is a social enterprise that equips young people with the skills that leaders of the future need. It does this through its annual events. To date, Rocking Ur Teens has welcomed over 1,500 students and teachers at its conferences. Over the next five years, Rocking Ur Teens aims to expand its impact by growing its mentoring programme. Their mission as an event is to allow students to “develop entrepreneurial spirit, agility and flexibility, character, self esteem and good mental health.” About Rocking Ur Teens Rocking Ur Teens is a social enterprise with a vision of crafting inspiring conferences that: – Expose teens to corporate environments, apprentices, graduates and interns, giving them a practical insight into the world of work – Create relationships between young people and corporate organisations to develop pipelines of diverse talent – Are accessible, providing socially mobile speakers who share stories and act as role models. Seeing is believing! – Break down barriers between those from culturally diverse backgrounds and continue to bring together a national and international audience. Dispel myths like ‘science is not for girls’ and engage audiences with speakers such Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE – Stemettes – Introduce teens to social action at an early age to illustrate how they can make a difference in their local and global community – Develop self-esteem and mental health awareness through speakers that have experienced it, such as Jonny Benjamin MBE – Mental Health Campaigner Rocking Ur Teens was founded by Jenny Garrett, award winning author, speaker and coach, Sandy Parris, event planner and Geoffrey Williams, Head of Diversity & Inclusion EMEA at Thomson Reuters. Holding around four events and conferences a year, Rocking Ur teens focuses on both boys and girls between the 13-14 years olds in Year 8 & 9 of School to help them gain the confidence that they need in order to excel in their final years of education. Rocking Ur Teens was founded by Jenny Garrett, award winning author, speaker and coach, Sandy Parris, event planner and Geoffrey Williams, Head of Diversity & Inclusion EMEA at Thomson Reuters. For more information about Rocking Ur Teens please visit their website, Facebook page or Twitter page Rocking ur teens reminds boys about “being your true self” October, 2019 With the #MeToo movement and men in senior positions accused of deception, it’s arguably never been a more important time to ask: What does it mean to be a man? How do we tackle toxic masculinity? What is men’s responsibility in the world? How can we celebrate the uniqueness of men? To celebrate International Men’s Day, Rocking Ur Teens will be bringing together 180 teenage boys and their teachers for an empowerment event to explore these questions and much more. Taking place on 12th November at Thomson Reuters head offices in Canary Wharf, the one-day interactive event will showcase positive male role models to inspire participants through their experiences and raise their aspirations, showing them that anything is possible when they have the courage and confidence to find their own identity and work hard. The event will be hosted by Bear Grylls The Island Star and Radio Presenter, Dean Quinton. Participants will also hear from keynote speakers including Andrew Hulbert, Successful Entrepreneur and CEO of Pareto; Cameron Parker, Motivational Schools Speaker and Andrew Odong, Content Strategist and Founder of Creative Media Agency Pesa Productions. They will share their career stories and learned wisdom. Andrew Hulbert said: “I remember my teens. I was unproductive, lacked direction and wasn’t focussed in the right areas. I have so much experience now that I’d like to have given to my younger self. That’s why I’m involved in Rocking Ur Teens, as it gives me the chance to shape the future of some of the countries brightest teenagers and pass on that learnt wisdom.” The teens will also take part in a spoken word workshop with Ragz-CV and a session on making good choices. They’ll benefit from speed mentoring with a diverse group of men who will share the advice that they would give their 13-year-old selves – with the benefit of hindsight. Talking about our last boys conference, one teacher said: “Students were blown away by the experience they thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and the opportunity to network and experience new ideas.” Sponsored by Thomson Reuters, the conference is highly subsidised and tickets cost just £15 per student or teacher. To find out more about the conference and how to sponsor the event see rockingurteens.com. Tickets for this event are sold out, to register for future events see rockingurteens.com. Girls inspired to be tomorrow’s STEM leaders at Rocking Ur Teens event November 2018 International Airlines Group (IAG) and Rocking Ur Teens are teaming up to hold a one-day energetic and interactive conference for teenage girls aged 13 and 14. According to WISE, women make up just 23% of those in core STEM occupations in the UK and 24% of those working in core STEM industries. To grow these figures, IAG and Rocking Ur Teens will showcase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers where traditionally girls are underrepresented and get them excited about the prospect of a job in one of these areas, that they may not have previously considered. At a time when teenagers are starting to think about possible careers, the event will bring to life the realities of various roles in both corporate organisations and non-typical industries for participants, so that they can start to map out their own journeys. Bringing together teens from different backgrounds, the event’s focus is on raising aspirations, building self-esteem and supporting teen girls in a safe and fun environment to learn, share and grow whilst providing effective tools to help them to successfully navigate their teenage years. Taking place on 4 December at IAG’s offices in Harmondsworth, West London, the day will be hosted by Capital Xtra radio presenter, Remel London. Attendees will hear from scientists, pilots, engineers and entrepreneurs including Emily Grossman, expert in molecular