Pastoral Information
At SVS, we believe that the health, wellbeing, and happiness of our students is critical to their development and success. We regard Pastoral Care as an integral feature of a pupil's education at Sandwell Valley School.
Pastoral care is at the heart of all that we do, and we aim to create an environment where students feel valued and supported so that they can make the most of their time here and achieve more than they imagined possible.
Mentors are central to the pastoral life of the school and work closely with the students and their teaching staff to monitor progress both academically and socially.
Supporting the teaching staff and mentors are the Curriculum Head and Behaviour/Pastoral Manager, who can provide an overall view of year groups. Teaching staff meet regularly with the Curriculum Head to review the progress of all students.
We have a school counsellor to provide confidential talking therapy. In total, we have a full-time DSL, Deputy DSLs, mentors, and a counsellor.
The relationship between our staff and students is built on trust and mutual respect. The staff show genuine care for all the students they work with and the whole school community works together to ensure mutual wellbeing.
If a student does need support, there are several ways in which it can be provided. Academic support can be provided through subject help lessons, mentoring and intervention lessons. The School First Aiders are available during school hours for the immediate treatment of injuries and minor illnesses.
In addition, we have a Mental Health and Wellbeing action plans that pertain to both staff and students. The aims of these action plans centre around the need to champion efforts that promote positive social and emotional well-being, mental health, resilience and wellness for the school community; to provide the knowledge and the skills so that staff and students can support their own wellbeing and that of their peers; to signpost support, for staff and students, at the earliest possible stage, so that timely intervention can take place; to continue to promote positivity around mental health and emotional well-being and reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and to provide a safe, stimulating and positive environment which encourages a sense of belonging and promotes respect and values diversity. The school appreciates that people cannot function in highly stressful environments and so, moving forward, these action plans will be fully shared with all staff as a refresher at the beginning of the new academic year because this is very much viewed as a collective responsibility at Sandwell Valley School.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and wellbeing are one of the biggest growth areas of concern in schools and, of course, this has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the multiple lockdowns that we have now had to face. This is an area that we address in school through PSHE lessons. At its most basic level, our advice to pupils often centres on consideration of the following key components:
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Sleep
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Nutrition
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Exercise
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Socialising
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Contributing
Resilience is frequently referred to in schools, although it is hard to define exactly. We tend to regard it as the ability to respond positively to change; and it can be developed. The internet is awash with mental health and wellbeing sites and advice, so the following list is by no means exhaustive. However, it is a good place to start looking for support and beginning to have healthy conversations about wellbeing at home.
The school works with external agencies to come in and offer expert advice and support for our students.
Other sites and resources that we would recommend are as follows:
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MindEd for Families - an e-learning platform funded by the Department of Health to support parents and carers when they are concerned about a young person's mental health.
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Young Minds - this link to the parents' section has a lot of advice on supporting your child through the coronavirus pandemic.
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Charlie Waller Memorial Trust (CWMT) - This organisation was set up to help equip young people to look after their mental wellbeing and spot signs of depression. The resource on self-harm is particularly good.
- Time to Change - this link is to a useful list of different types of mental health conditions and how to access support for each of them.
