Headlines By James Saunders 7th May 2021
I have had the privilege of showing a number of families around Honywood over the last few weeks. These are families who are looking to choose Honywood for their children next year. Most of the conversations have been around what makes Honywood a unique and special place. I found that I kept falling back on the community spirit and the fact that our size really helps us to get to know each other through meaningful relationships and personalisation. Walking around the school recently I have got the feeling that Honywood really is a place where our learners do not get lost in the crowd; a place where we are able to notice their talents and what makes them special. The last year has shown us the importance of these unique aspects of the school. As we come out of the pandemic a new set of challenges faces society at large. I am confident that the ethos of Honywood is what got us through the last twelve months and will keep us moving forward into the next year.
children and their families through prevention, early intervention and education. They are trained to deliver a range of evidence-based interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs.
There are a number of different ways that the EMHPs will be supporting us: Groups and workshops – targeted intervention focusing on certain topics/issues and delivered to a group of learners or parents (e.g. emotional wellbeing, coping with exam stress, self-esteem, friendships. Individual work with young people – short term low intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) informed interventions for young people with anxiety and/or low mood. Staff support – training and consultation to support the school to develop a ‘whole school approach’ to emotional wellbeing and mental health. We thank Dr Sally Robinson, Clinical & Strategic Lead MHSTs Essex and Heather Edridge, Senior Mental Health Lead for their support in getting this work off the ground. If you wish to read further about the work of the Mental Health Support Teams then follow this link: Mid and South Essex Mental Health Support Teams One of the things that has really impressed the Mental Health Support team about Honywood is our Wellbeing app. They have even taken it back to their university with a view to launch in other schools. Timetable
Mental Health remains a primary focus for society postpandemic. I am pleased to inform you that we have formed a new partnership with NELFT NHS foundation trust and Essex Mental Health Support Team to provide additional support to our learners. Through this partnership we have been able to secure the services of two Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs), to support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of learners. The aim of the team is to promote good emotional wellbeing and mental health by helping
When we return in June after the May half term learners will be switching to the September timetable. This is not something that we would usually do however this year, in light of the challenges of the pandemic, we felt that it would help us to get learners back on track and iron out any issues that would normally occur in September ahead of time. For some learners this will mean meeting their new teacher for the next academic year. For some it will mean starting a whole new course and for others it may just mean a fresh start. Our hope is that we can ensure that learning momentum remains focused and moving forward for the final weeks of term. Covid home test kits We have received another delivery of Covid home test kits and will be distributing these to learners next week. These kits should take learners to half term.