Mental health – Supporting everyone conference

• Date: February 29, 2024
• Time: 09:00 – 17:00
• Cost: BSA Full Member – £215, BSA Additional Full Member – £110, BSA Affiliate Member – £325, BSA Additional Affiliate Member – £140, Non-member – £430
• Audience: Heads, Deputy Heads, Heads of Boarding, Mental health Leads, Inclusion Leads, Nurses, Health Centre Leads, Boarding and pastoral staff, all staff.
• Platform: Zoom (online) – Conference

Course outline

This virtual conference will address the key themes around mental health in 2024 and consider the wellbeing of the entire organisation, including students, pastoral staff, teaching staff and management. Mental health remains one of the top BSA member concerns, especially following the impact of the pandemic. According to Children’s Society and YoungMinds research, almost 40% of 6- to 16-year-olds have experienced deterioration in mental health since 2017. We know that members are concerned about waiting times for accessing support and varying thresholds of criteria. This conference will consider practical ways that our whole community can feel supported in managing their mental health before it becomes an “issue”.

Training topics will include:

• Understanding mental health in children and young people: this session will provide an understanding of common mental health issues affecting children and young people, especially in the school setting. It will explore signs and symptoms to look out for, risk factors and the impact on overall wellbeing
• Creating a supportive environment for mental health: focusing on creating a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes positive mental health for students and staff alike. Delegates will learn practical strategies for fostering a culture of wellbeing, including effective communication, implementing anti-bullying measures, and promoting social-emotional learning
• Building resilience and emotional regulation skills: delegates will gain practical insights into evidence-based strategies for developing coping mechanisms, stress management techniques and self-care practices to enhance mental wellbeing. These skills can be utilised by students and staff alike
• Supporting staff: this session will focus on addressing the mental health needs of staff in the demanding school environment. Practical strategies for self-care, stress reduction and creating a work-life balance will be considered. The session will also explore the role of leaders in supporting the wellbeing of their staff.
• Mental health leadership: this session will emphasise the importance of leadership in promoting a comprehensive approach to mental health across your organisation and community. Delegates will hear about effective leadership strategies, policies and programmes that foster a whole-school approach to mental health.

Learning outcomes:

• Recognising the signs of common mental health issues in children and young people
• Early identification and intervention strategies in schools
• Promoting a culture of wellbeing and inclusivity
• Implementing self-care practices, stress management and coping mechanisms
• Creating a supportive work environment
• Integrating mental health initiatives in policy and strategic planning.

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Programme:

09:15 – 10:15

Session 1 –Building a mentally healthy community

In this introductory session, Alicia Drummond will be covering the key points in building a mentally healthy community.

• Chair: David Walker, Director BSA
• Speaker: Alicia Drummond, Founder, Teen Tips

Break 10:15 – 10:30

10:30 – 11:15

Session 2 – Panel Discussion – Creating a supportive environment for mental health

Focusing on creating a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes positive mental health for students and staff alike. Delegates will learn practical strategies for fostering a culture of wellbeing, including effective communication, implementing anti-bullying measures, and promoting social-emotional learning

• Chair: Gaelle Sullivan, Director Research and Inclusion, Director TIOB
• Panel: Rachel Hart, Head of PSHE, Lady Eleanor Holles School, Rachel Hart, Deputy Head Pastoral, Roedean and Abbey Jones, Senior Deputy Head, Stephen Perse Senior School.

Break 11:15 – 11:30

11:30 – 12:30

Session 3 – Supporting Staff

This session will focus on addressing the mental health needs of staff in the demanding school environment. Practical strategies for self-care, stress reduction and creating a work-life balance will be considered. The session will also explore the role of leaders in supporting the wellbeing of their staff.

• Chair: Dale Wilkins, Senior Director BSA
• Speaker: Monisha Jefcut, Training Manager, Anna Freud Foundation

Lunch – 12:30 – 13:15

13:15 – 14:30

Session 4 – Know your cohort – Mental Health through the eyes of different groups.

This session will consider the ways in which we can identify different cohorts within our communities and target specific help for each of them. The team from GoVox will outline how technology can be used to identify key groups within a school. Young Carer’s will follow this with a case study on how cohorts might experience unique challenges and what can be done to support them.

• Chair: David Walker, Director BSA
• Speaker: Jonathan Bentley, CMO, Govox Wellbeing

Break – 14:30 – 14:45

14:45 – 16:00

Session 5 – Mental health leadership and conference close

Mental health leadership: this session will emphasise the importance of leadership in promoting a comprehensive approach to mental health across your organisation and community. Delegates will hear about effective leadership strategies, policies and programmes that foster a whole-school approach to mental health.

• Chair: David Walker, Director BSA
• Speaker: Lee Glaser, Director, HIEDA and Group Services Director, BSA Group

Speakers:

Lee Glaser, Director, Hieda and Group Services Director, BSA Group

Lee has extensive experience in pastoral care. Prior to becoming Headmaster and CEO at Taunton School in Somerset he was the School’s Deputy Head which involved leading the pastoral team and being the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Outstanding support for student and staff wellbeing has always been at the heart of his approach and the School was recently shortlisted for a TES Award for excellence in this area.

Lee has always worked closely with the School’s medical team which provided excellent support to the community, particularly during the COVID pandemic. He is excited to be supporting HIEDA members in delivering the highest quality of care in their own environments.

Alicia Drummond, Founder, Teen Tips Ltd

Alicia is passionate about providing evidenced-based advice to parents, teachers and all those looking after children and young people, so they can be pro-active in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of those in their care.  Alicia also works directly with children and young people empowering them to look after their mental health and wellbeing.

Alicia draws on the latest research from psychotherapy, psychology and neuroscience, along with her experience of working as an adolescent therapist.

Alicia is a BACP accredited therapist, parenting expert, sought after keynote speaker, member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for a Fit and Healthy Childhood, author and a mother.  She is regularly sought for her expert opinion by the media.

Having worked with schools across the UK for more than a decade delivering webinars, talks and workshops to parents, carers, staff, and pupils; in 2020 Alicia created The Wellbeing Hub. This award-winning platform offers a proactive approach to young people’s mental health and wellbeing by providing evidenced-based support for the whole school community – staff, parents, carers and pupils.  The platform is currently impacting more than 130,000 pupils in over 220 schools.

Abbey Jones, Senior Deputy Head, Stephen Perse Senior School

After various roles as Head of Year/Key Stage and Head of PSHCE, Abbey Jones oversaw pastoral care as Deputy Head of the Stephen Perse Senior School, Cambridge for five years. She implemented new systems for monitoring students and headed up the School’s efforts to be recognised by the Carnegie School Mental Health Award as well as undertaking a year-long CAMHS foundation module in Mental Health in Young People. She then took up the role of Deputy Head (Pastoral) and DSL at Haberdashers’ Girls School in Elstree where she led the School’s response to Everyone’s Invited and Black Lives Matter, alongside the myriad pastoral and safeguarding issues engendered by the pandemic. In her current role as Senior Deputy Head back at the Stephen Perse, Abbey works to develop and strengthen an all-encompassing school ethos where every child feels secure, valued and free to be themselves.

Rachel Hart, Head of PSHE, Lady Eleanor Holles School

Rachel Hart is Head of PSHE (Life Advice) at Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton. She has over 20yrs experience teaching in girls’ day and boarding schools and has four daughters of her own. Rachel has trained in Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health and Wellbeing at The Tavistock Clinic in London and brings a therapeutic lens to her work in the classroom and beyond. She is passionate about wellbeing and represents LEH on the Coalition for Youth Mental Health in Schools, with a particular interest in neurodiversity. Rachel also advocates for providing opportunities for girls and young women to find their voice and to discover their individual and collective strengths through mentoring and collaboration, and is author of ‘Shapeshifting in a pandemic’ (The Magic in the Space Beyond, 2022)

Jonathan Bentley, CMO, Govox Wellbeing

With over 25 years’ experience in marketing consultancy, working for leading communications agencies and brands, Jonathan joined Govox Wellbeing in January 2022 to head up all things brand marketing and partnerships with organisations like the BSA.

Jonathan & the Govox team are passionate about Health Tech innovation and how new proactive Wellbeing data led insights are already complimenting well-established education pastoral strategies.

Govox helps Pastoral leaders put a discreet digital lens on students’ mental health and extract wellbeing information from them in a non-intrusive way, often with over 85% engagement rates.

Govox are proud to partner with UK Universities, 6th Form Colleges and State & Independent schools like Stowe, Culford & Wellington & Immanuel College, in providing the actionable insights to build healthier & happier pupils, staff and school culture.

Rachel Hart, Deputy Head: Pastoral & DSL, Roedean School

Rachel is currently Deputy Head: Pastoral & DSL at Roedean School in Brighton.  She has particular interest and expertise in supporting students experiencing eating disorders and has recently written articles for the Times Educational Supplement (TES) on this area. With extensive pastoral experience in the independent sector and boarding schools, Rachel is passionate about supporting staff to create a consistent and replicable approaches when dealing with mental health and wellbeing, so that all students feel seen, known and heard.

Monisha Jefcut, Training Manager, Anna Freud Foundation

Monisha is an education expert with extensive teaching experience. Having worked in a diverse range of schools as a Senior Leader specialising in mental health, behaviour and safeguarding, Monisha has a strong understanding of the current challenges within education. She is passionate about providing schools and staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Monisha leads training across several projects including government initiatives and specialist training packages. Monisha and her team have met the increasing demands of schools requiring support to improve staff wellbeing. These training opportunities and resources on leading and supporting staff wellbeing have been delivered to both national and international audiences. She has vast experience of delivering a wide range of mental health training to senior education leaders and staff to foster cultural and organisational change within their school settings including a fundamental understanding of the impact of developing a whole-school approach to school communities.