At St Agatha’s, we believe that early intervention is essential in preventing difficulties from becoming more serious and impacting negatively on children, families and the wider community.

We offer a range of Early Help support services to children and families. Many families access some form of Early Help during their time at our school, whether for a short period or on a longer-term basis, to strengthen the support available around them.

Early Help for Children

Support may include:

• Individual or small-group emotional wellbeing support
• Building self-esteem and confidence
• Promoting positive behaviour and attitudes towards learning
• Developing positive relationships
• Support following bereavement, family changes or trauma
• Attendance support, including support for Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
• Emotional regulation support

Early Help for Families

Support may include:

• Access to parent workshops
• Assistance with completing forms and applications
• Support with housing applications, food bank referrals and holiday activity programmes
• Advice on promoting positive behaviour at home
• Information, guidance and signposting to local services
• Support liaising with external professionals and agencies, including family support workers and educational wellbeing practitioners

Who Provides Early Help at St Agatha’s?

Early Help support is provided by a range of school staff and is typically coordinated by Mrs Hubbard and Mrs Laws.

If a parent or carer would like to discuss Early Help support, staff will liaise with the appropriate lead and arrange a meeting to explore how we can help.

Where support from external agencies would be beneficial, such as Educational Wellbeing Practitioners or Family Support Services, we will work collaboratively with families to make referrals and support them throughout the process.

At St Agatha’s, our aim is to support children and families so that every child feels safe, valued, happy and able to thrive in school.

During term time, we work closely with parents, carers and external agencies to:

• Address current concerns
• Strengthen family wellbeing
• Promote positive outcomes for children
• Prevent future difficulties where possible

How We Can Help

We can support:

• Children experiencing emotional difficulties, anxiety or low self-esteem
• Children who are withdrawn or struggling to engage
• Families experiencing significant life changes, such as separation or bereavement
• Parents requiring support with behaviour at home
• Families whose children are reluctant to attend school
• Families affected by illness, disability, financial difficulties or domestic abuse
• Parents seeking advice, guidance or signposting to specialist services

We can also:

• Signpost to relevant support services
• Provide information about local support groups
• Assist families in accessing additional help and advice

To discuss support, please contact:

• Mrs Hubbard via the school office: office@stagathas.school
• Mrs Laws (SENDCo): sendco@stagathas.school

With your consent, we will work alongside you to understand the challenges being experienced and identify the most appropriate support.

The Mental Health Support Team (MHST) is a school-based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) initiative that provides early intervention and prevention support for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

The MHST is a multidisciplinary team that includes:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) practitioners
• Child and Educational Wellbeing Practitioners
• Family Practitioners
• Creative Therapists

The team works closely with schools to support a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health.

How MHST Supports Schools

The MHST:

• Delivers evidence-based interventions
• Supports children with mild to moderate anxiety and emotional difficulties
• Works with parents to address behavioural concerns
• Provides consultation and advice to school staff
• Supports schools in developing positive mental health provision
• Offers workshops and webinars for parents and carers

Primary School Offer

For primary-aged children, the MHST can provide:

• Parent-led support for anxiety and behaviour difficulties
• Emotional wellbeing workshops
• Coffee mornings and parent information sessions
• Group interventions focusing on:
  • Resilience
  • Friendships
  • Transition to secondary school

We are delighted to work in partnership with the Mental Health Support Team.

Our allocated Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner, Izzi Brooks, works in school on Thursdays and offers:

• One-to-one parent support sessions
• Advice regarding anxiety, low mood and challenging behaviour
• Parent workshops throughout the year
• Guidance on supporting children's emotional wellbeing

We also have a CAMHS Practitioner, who is a Dance Movement and Creative Psychotherapist, Shakira Cutting, who works with children on Tuesdays

Parents can access support through:

• Self-referral via the MHST referral form
• A referral through the school's Inclusion Leader

MHST Self-Referral Form

Self-Referral Google Form

External Services We Work With

To ensure children with SEND receive the right support, we work closely with a range of specialist services, including:

• Educational Psychology Service (22 sessions per year)
• SPARK (School Performance Alliance Richmond and Kingston) SEND networks and specialist training
• Disabled Children's Service for families of some pupils with higher levels of need
• Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)
• Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Physiotherapy Services

These services help us assess needs, advise staff, support pupils and work alongside families.

We believe that strong partnerships with parents are essential.

School Support

• Your child's class teacher is the first point of contact for any concerns.
• Our SENDCo is available to discuss your child's needs and progress.
• Parents are invited to termly review meetings to discuss outcomes, support and next steps.
• Appointments can be made through the school office.

Independent Advice and Support

The Richmond and Kingston SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS), delivered by KIDS, offers free, impartial and confidential advice for parents, carers and young people aged 16-25.

Telephone: 020 8831 6179
Email: Richmondkingston@kids.org.uk
Website: https://www.kids.org.uk/richmond-and-kingston-sendiass

The Achieving for Children Local Offer provides information about services and support available for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25.

➡ Visit the Local Offer:
https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/

The Local Offer includes information about:

• Education and training
• Health services
• Social care and short breaks
• Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Preparing for adulthood
• Transport support
• Personal budgets
• Appeals and tribunals
• Advice, guidance and financial support

If you would like help accessing any of this information, please contact the SENDCo.