Mental Health Support: Living Well Together

At William Ford, our Christian vision calls us to support every child to be healthy, and we take that to mean healthy in body, mind and spirit. We believe a child who feels safe, understood and emotionally secure is a child who is free to learn and succeed. That's why mental health and emotional wellbeing sit right at the heart of what we do, not as an add-on, but as a foundation for everything else.

We know that a child facing barriers such as anxiety, anger, low self-esteem or difficulty making friends is far less likely to achieve well, whatever their academic ability. So before we can help a child be successful, we first work to remove whatever stands in their way. That belief shapes the whole of our pastoral offer.

Our Learning Mentor

Mrs Sue Finch is our Learning Mentor, and her role is central to this work. Rather than focusing on any one area, Sue works to identify and remove the barriers that stop individual children from achieving well, whatever form those barriers take, be it anxiety, anger, low confidence or difficulty making friends. She delivers Zones of Regulation sessions to help pupils understand and manage their emotions, alongside leading our Hamish and Milo programme.

Hamish and Milo

Hamish and Milo is a nationally recognised wellbeing programme that we use across the whole school, delivered through small group sessions led by Sue. Each programme runs over a structured series of weeks and focusses on a specific theme, such as building resilience, managing anxiety, understanding and expressing anger safely, coping with change or bereavement, and developing strong, healthy friendships. Using story, characters and creative activity, sessions help children put a name to how they're feeling and give them real tools to cope, tools they can carry with them well beyond their time at William Ford. Every child keeps their own wellbeing journal to reflect on their progress, and we carefully measure the impact of each programme before and after, with results showing real, lasting improvements in confidence, self-regulation and friendships. Where helpful, we also offer sessions for parents and carers, so families can be supported alongside their child.

Place2Be

We're proud to work with Place2Be, a national children's mental health charity, whose qualified counsellor, Nancy Volley, is based on-site two days a week. Nancy offers one-to-one and group support to pupils, alongside a more informal drop-in service at lunchtime for children who just need someone to talk to. Support is also available to parents and staff, in recognition that a child's wellbeing is often bound up with the wellbeing of the adults around them. Almost a third of our pupils access some form of mental health or emotional wellbeing support across the school year, a reflection of how embedded and trusted this provision has become.

A whole-school approach

This work doesn't stop with two members of staff. All of our team have received training in Adverse Childhood Experiences, Zones of Regulation, low arousal behaviour management and mental health awareness, so that every adult in school is equipped to notice and respond when a child is struggling. Our Lighthouse provision offers a calmer, more nurturing space for children with more complex social, emotional and mental health needs, helping them regain confidence and, in many cases, successfully return to full-time mainstream learning.

Recognised, not assumed

Our commitment to inclusion has been externally recognised through the Inclusion Quality Mark, and we're proud to be working towards Flagship status, the highest level of recognition available. This isn't a badge we display and forget. It reflects a genuine, ongoing commitment to making sure every child, whatever they're facing, has what they need to feel safe, be understood, and thrive.

At William Ford, supporting mental health isn't a separate strand of school life. It's woven through our curriculum, our relationships, and our Christian belief that every child is known and valued, and deserves the chance to flourish in body, mind and spirit.