At the Wymering School, the vast majority of our students have significant and complex mental health needs.

For some of our pupils this stems for their neurodiverse needs. A large number of our pupils have a dual diagnosis on Autism/Social Communication Differences (ASC) and Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder (ADHD) which means they experience a drive for sameness and routine whilst experiencing high levels of impulsivity. This results in a push-pull effect in our children and this conflict can lead to difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing.

For other pupils their mental health needs can stem from a variety of sources including past experiences and low self esteem, combined with the challenge of adolescence, when the world is socially very confusing.

The Senior Mental Health Lead at The Wymering School oversees the work and assessment of children’s needs. The school works closely with CAMHS and has a direct link worker who visits the school fortnightly to review cases and manage referrals to CAMHS for those pupils who require more sustained therapy.

Issues faced by our pupils include:

Tourette’s
Alexithymia
Self Harm
Suicidal Ideation
Low Emotional Literacy
Limited Emotional Regulation Skills
High Anxiety
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Low mood and depression
OCD
Poor Interoception
ARFID

Provision

At Wymering, all our staff undergo training around trauma informed practice and have awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences. The school has a procedure for self-harm and/or suicide risk incidents, which all staff are trained on. The Senior Mental Health Lead and the safeguarding team oversee any incidents and safety plans are carried out accordingly.

Due to the high level of need, the school offer a tiered approach to ensure that our children receive the intervention and support they require.

Tier 1

All staff receive high quality training concerning key areas for our pupils including trauma, self harm, suicidal intent, consistent relational and restorative practice. These are critical foundations upon which to build pupil’s trust, helping them to see staff and school as safe and trusted.

Daily check ins, individual and group reflect and review sessions.

Weekly emotional wellbeing, mental health and emotional regulation lessons across the school.

Tier 2

12 week 1:1 programme led by school staff specific to the pupil’s need. This can be followed up with an additional 12-week small group program if required.

Tier 3

12-week intervention program with the Mental Health Lead. These 1.1 interventions can include:

Anxiety management
Anger management
Self-esteem
Low mood management

Tier 4

Referral to CAMHS, with support from the school’s direct CAMHS link worker.

Pupils can start on any tier and will be moved as is appropriate. For example, a pupil who completes a 12-week session at Tier 3 may then move to Tier 2, 1:1 or group depending on their progress, or a pupil at Tier 2 may move up to Tier 3 at the end of their 12-week 1:1 session, rather than to group sessions.

The social, emotional mental health needs of pupils, including self esteem, depression and anger are assessed termly through scaled programs which include: