Abbeymead Child and Family Support

Pastoral care team:

Pupil Welfare Lead – Vicci Gibbons vgibbons@abbeymead.gloucs.sch.uk

Family Welfare Officer– Karen Overthrow koverthrow@abbeymead.gloucs.sch.uk

We understand that sometimes children and their families may need a bit of extra support to help cope with the ups and downs of daily life.

Early help for our children and families means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, which could be at any point in a child’s life from the foundation years through to teenage years. Support may be through direct work with children and families or referrals to specialist agencies and support services.

Here at Abbeymead, we have a dedicated and experienced team, available for you to discuss and share your concerns. Our pastoral team can offer confidential support and advice for children who are experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties, which may include friendships, self-esteem, bereavement, transitions, anxiety, emotional regulation, emotional based school avoidance and more. As a school we are supported by Young Minds Matter, who can provide early help support for mild to moderate mental health issues, including low mood, anxiety and behaviour that challenges. Vicci Gibbons is our Senior Mental Health Lead who co-ordinates the school’s support for mental health.

We can also offer advice and signposting around family issues, such as parenting (routines and boundaries, sleep problems, behaviour management etc.), parental mental health, relationship support, housing, and finances. We can also offer a range of adult education opportunities for parents and carers who are looking to learn new skills. Sometimes we may feel a referral to more specialist support services, such as Early Help or Children’s Social Care, would be beneficial and we can discuss this with you.

We hold coffee mornings for parents and carers to provide an opportunity to speak to us – dates are advertised on Dojo. However, you can contact us any time by email or on the school telephone number 01242 371710. Please do come and talk to us.

The pastoral care team hold regular meetings with Mr Pass (Headteacher and DSL) where support for vulnerable children is discussed. We work very closely and collaboratively with our SENDCo, Kelly Tanner, for a holistic approach to supporting children and meeting their needs. Where appropriate we may consider support through the SEND graduated pathway for social, emotional, mental health needs through the use of a My Plan, My Assessment and My Plan Plus or in some cases and EHCP. We also work closely with the Pupil Premium Lead, George Pitman, to ensure that every child is able to meet their potential and be ‘Ready For Life’ and our Attendance Officer, Sandra McConachie, to help promote attendance.

Offer of Early Help

Pastoral Care Protocol