Student Wellbeing

Knowing what is good and bad mental health is as important as knowing when you have a cold or not. If you feel that you are struggling with a problem that you cannot deal with, if you suspect or know that you need help with your wellbeing, look at the help offered via the websites below, or speak with your Form Tutor or one of the Learning Mentors.

Summer Break 2024: We wish all students a safe, enjoyable and happy holiday.  Should you have concerns or worries about your safety please call 0300 123 4043.  If you feel you are in immediate risk of harm or in an emergency situation please call 999.

Contacts for students

  • With Youth is a digital wellbeing service with a helpline and instant messaging service to chat online or over the phone: 0208 189 8400 Monday to Friday 2pm to 10pm.
  • For general support visit Herts Services for Young People
  • Local Food Bank information can be found here
  • Sandbox – an online hub that provides free online advice to children and young adults (10-25 years old) in Hertfordshire.  It provides really useful resources about managing your own mental health and has a very informative Q and A page on the site too!
  • Kooth is an online counselling and emotional wellbeing platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.
  • Childline is a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, we’re here for you online, on the phone, anytime.
  • ChatHealth is a confidential messaging service run by nurses available for 11-19 year olds. If you have any concerns about your health, or if you have any concerns or worries or you want to talk about relationships or anything else and you want advice from a healthcare profession
  • Young Minds – a website where you can find support for young people, designed to provide you with support, advice and guidance.  There is also a section for parents to check out to help their own young person at home.
  • Samaritans –  a charity that anyone in need of support or advice can contact in lots of different ways.  Their phone line is available to anyone who wants someone to talk to, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Simply dial: 116 123
  • Anna Freud Centre – follow the link for a huge selection of easy and practical ways to care for your wellbeing
  • Download and get your own copy of the Managing Anxiety Journal. It is a fantastic 14-day journal, with activities to do and reflect on every day, to work through together with a supportive adult at home to help you learn how to manage your anxiety. 

Loneliness

We all experience loneliness at times throughout our lives.  It doesn’t just affect old people; it affects young people too, as well as every other age in between.  Sometimes you might find it difficult to talk to someone about how lonely you feel, thinking that nobody else will understand how you feel, or that they might think that there is something  wrong with you.  However, it’s really important to remember that the more we talk about how we feel, the more we actually normalise talking about these things and the more open people are to asking for help.

Follow the link for ideas about how to manage loneliness and what you can do to feel less lonely: Tackling youth loneliness 

Low Mood

Have a look at this Coping With Low Mood poster for lots of simple ideas to help you manage your own mood:

Coping with your low mood flyer
Click the image to view the full poster

Self-care books

Here is a list of books and resources on a variety of wellbeing and self-help topics, all of which you can order through Amazon:

Mind Your Head – Juno Dawson

Blame my Brain – Nicola Morgan

The Teenage Guide to Stress – Nicola Morgan

Information for parents

Students study ‘wellbeing’ during Form Time and within the curriculum. Parents and carers can support their child by encouraging them to use the ideas in the poster above and ensuring that they know how to access online support through; kooth, Childline or ChatHealth.

We are currently working in partnership with speaker, author and researcher Dr Kathy Weston, the founder of Tooled-Up Education. All Ashlyns parents are given free access to Tooled-Up, where they can access evidence-based resources that enable parents to help their children to thrive. There is a focus on the 6 key areas: Aspiration, Learning, Digital life, Wellbeing & mental health, Behaviour and family life and Relationships. They are derived from the highest quality research that are easy to implement and likely to be impactful. Please visit our Parenting Support page.

The teaching and support staff at Ashlyns are committed to student wellbeing.   Twice a year, the students in each year group complete a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).  The SDQ is a standardised measuring tool which allows us to gauge the well-being of each student.  Depending on their SDQ analysis and score, some students are provided with the opportunity of talking to a learning mentor who might suggest a short term intervention. The SDQ questionnaire is completed in the Autumn and Spring terms.  You can find out more about SDQ online.