Halcyon Education

I'm proud to share this podcast in conversation with Zoe Winchester, Senior Mental Health Lead of a primary school. She shares her journey of change and whole school culture and gaining senior leadership team buy-in.

I'm delighted to share this podcast in conversation with Andrew Cowley. He is an experienced school leader and is passionate about teacher and pupil wellbeing in schools. He is the author of the popular teacher wellbeing guide The Wellbeing Toolkit and co-founder of Healthy Toolkit (@HealthyToolkit). In this episode we talk all things staff wellbeing and Andrew shares his wisdom in and thoughts on how schools can promote good staff wellbeing. Podcast shared with kind permission from BEP

Emma Spillane works with schools to support them in creating a safe environment in which vulnerable children feel calm, grounded and ready to learn. In this interview, she details 3 specific areas of interest where schools can make adjustments that make a difference to the daily experiences of their most vulnerable children. From connecting and providing a structure at key transition times in the day, to building positive relationships and trusted connections with key staff, and adapting the physical environment as seen through the eyes of the children, Emma's numerous strategies are tried and trusted and always place the needs of the child first.

Faye Whittle is a SEND specialist, an education consultant and an advisor on inclusion in schools. Find out more about her work, and how it dovetails with the work of the mental health lead in schools. Faye goes on to explore what can be done to reduce the disproportionate number of SEND pupils who are excluded from schools.

In this interview with three secondary students and their head teacher it is encouraging to hear one pupil state "It's OK not to be OK". An open culture around mental health in their schools ​has provided the support they need, and the confidence to speak about mental health. Find out more about their strategies for improving mental health, from transition to year 7 throughout all year groups.

A comprehensive guide to your first 100 days as a senior mental health lead helping you define your role, along with an action plan

Mainstream school education treats all pupils the same; however we know that everyone is different. My interview with clinical psychologist Asha Patel explores this topic, and how Asha helps schools to flex their approach to the multitude of different mental health challenges they may face. Asha is passionate about early intervention to prevent children's life chances being impaired at an early age. “No one wants to get mental health wrong' says Asha. With the help of her audit tool Edupod providing clinical and coaching support, schools can be more responsive to students' differing mental health journeys, and boost confidence across the entire teaching and support staff.

Three year 5 pupils express what it was like for them returning to the classroom after such a long time away. What an inspiration they are!

Head teacher Richard Ellis has a positive, considered approach to mental wellbeing in school, both for his staff and children. This interview with Richard is both practical and inspirational.

Anna Bateman interviews 3 secondary school students to hear from their perspective, what life was like during lockdown and how they are coping now. Troy, Alara and Zarbakht speak candidly about their experiences, many of which we can probably all relate to, how they felt, what impact it had on their mental and physical wellbeing, relationships and studies.

Anthony Beckett is a senior assistant headteacher and mental wellbeing and safeguarding lead at a secondary school in the West Midlands, the same school that our guest students in Episode 1 of this season’s podcasts attend. In this episode, Anna delves deeper into the successful wellbeing culture that Anthony has created, one that has succeeded in building mental resilience across the whole school, for teachers as well as students.

National Online Safety – the good, the bad and the ugly by Anna Bateman

Young carers – how to spot them and provide the right support. An interview with Emma Francis from Birmingham Mental Health Care and Support Service

Dan Gardiner and Marcus Isaac of F2D In the Community talk to Anna Bateman about their work in schools and the launch of their new book, Entrepreneurship: A Young Persons Guide. Dan and Marcus say that if you believe, you can achieve. Find out more about their valuable work connecting with youngsters in ways that help them realise their true potential which in turn boosts self esteem and confidence.

John Rees of PSHE Solutions speaks to Anna Bateman about his vision for schools and how teaching methods for this subject and PSHE can help shape our youngsters.

Anna Bateman interviews 3 year 11 students to hear their views on exam stress and what they feel schools and teachers could do to help them prepare for their all important exams and alleviate stress levels when under exam pressure. Listen now to hear them share their worries and insights.

In this episode, behaviour specialist Adele Bates reflects on the kaleidoscope of pupil’s lockdown experiences facing school leaders, and the challenge of meeting the individual needs of all. There are lots of suggestions in this interview that can guide us through what will undoubtedly be a challenging time, along with links to helpful resources. Refer to our website for a useful handout to try in your setting – free writing for all, a wellbeing intervention that Adele finds most powerful. www.halycon.education/podcasts/

Pupils from Ainthorpe Primary, along with a member of their senior leadership team, tell us about their experience of using a Lottery funded programme called Headstart to promote a whole school approach to mental wellbeing. We also hear from Gail Teasdale, Headstart Programme Manager in Hull about the strategy behind this initiative to move schools away from simple tick box exercises when putting mental health prevention in place.

This interview with students of Lincroft Secondary School demonstrates the success of a student wellbeing team in action and the innovative measures they have put in place to support students in their school. The students specifically identified stigma as a barrier to their peers seeking help and support when needed, and explained how they created an open culture of discussion around mental health, to make it less scary for those in need.

In this interview, Nina talks specifically about the challenges that pupils have faced in recent months during lockdown, and in the coming months as they prepare to return to what will be a noticeably different school environment. She talks of a ‘slinky’ approach to the new challenges ahead, to keep children moving forward in a positive way. Find out what this means and how this can help you shape your approach to welcoming students back into the classroom.

And so to help you even further with your PSHE planning, Episode 3 features an interview with Damian Hewitt from Jigsaw PSHE. He shares his extensive experience, as a head teacher and executive headteacher, of how to ensure PSHE is at the heart of the school. We discuss the conditions that make a PSHE curriculum become more than just a lesson and the importance of creating a shared responsibility and learning behaviours. Jigsaw PSHE is one of our sponsors and is providing all schools with a free downloadable a comprehensive ‘Recovery Curriculum’ to support you as pupils return.

As we gradually welcome children back into school, it helps to have a strategy of positive communication about the times we have all been through. There is a lot of talk in the media about the need to ‘catch up’, ‘the lost generation’ and ‘lost time’, however this does not engender a feeling of hope and positivity for staff, pupils or their parents. Rather than using what Mark Goodwin terms a ‘deficit language’ in this insightful interview, he guides us along a path of positivity, especially when communicating with children who have really struggled during their time away from school. Mark has also kindly shared this handout – How to Turnaround a Kid – The Cookie Jar Checklist, which is a perfectly succinct guide to preparing for and welcoming children as they return to school. You can download it from our website https://halcyon.education/podcasts/.

Halcyon Podcasts Season 2 Mental Health in Schools. Welcome to the second season of Halcyon Podcasts, putting mental health and wellbeing in schools at the centre of our interviews with everyday experts and students. We’re delighted to bring you a range of valuable insights, advice and practical strategies, and thank all of our interviewees for the time that they have generously given to share their knowledge. All of our podcasts are supported by handouts which can be downloaded and used in your school setting. Visit https://halcyon.education/podcasts/ to download the handouts.

In this first episode of season 2 of Halcyon Education podcasts, Anna Bateman interviews Keri Haw, a mental health lead working in an all-through school. Keri shares her insight and wisdom about how schools can adapt during these difficult times of the Covid-19 lockdown, and acknowledges the importance of looking after the mental wellbeing of staff, as well as pupils, as schools slowly reopen.

Anna Bateman provides this comprehensive guide to emotional literacy in schools. This podcast includes advice on the language of emotion, how to recognise internal and external expressions of feelings, and gives tips on how to adopt adaptive rather than maladaptive behaviours when faced with feelings of overwhelm. We recommend downloading our accompanying handout 'Emotional Literacy in School' for reference before listening to the podcast which you can find on our website https://halcyon.education/podcasts/.

Our everyday expert Dawn Dance talks about the importance and scope of mental health leads in schools, along with practical suggestions for the role, and how to garner support from the wider school community including staff and parents. Visit our podcast webpage to download our accompanying handout. https://halcyon.education/podcasts/

Petrina Poleon is Deputy Head teacher at Cofton Primary School. In this episode, she shares her ideas for how to recognise children who 'always do the right thing'. By creating 'The Always Club', children are regularly rewarded and praised for sustained good behaviour and for setting a good example to others. Petrina explains the importance of acknowledging the positives in children's behaviour, and the practical considerations for creating an award scheme like 'The Always Club'. We also hear from 3 pupils who tell us what it's like to be part of 'The Always Club' and how happy it makes them feel.

Suneta Bagri has been a head teacher for the last 4 years and now coaches teaching staff in the art of self-care via her project Every Teacher Matters. Stress affects performance and impacts pupils, which is why, in Suneta’s view, it is incredibly important to look after teacher’s wellbeing. She gives us pointers for spotting the early signs of burnout and influential factors that often lead to overwhelm. Suneta also explores the personal measures that teachers can take to improve self-care, and how schools can create a positive, supportive culture to promote better teacher wellbeing. https://halcyon.education/podcasts

Millie has recently been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Condition after suffering over 10 years of mental health problems. In this episode she kindly shares what strategies schools and colleges could put in place to offer support that really could make a huge difference to students.

Spotting the signs of Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and anxiety - as shared by Millie. In this first of our double episode, we hear from Millie about the experiences she had in school growing up without a diagnosis of ASC and how schools could spot the signs earlier if they know what to look for.

Insights from 3 young male students sharing their experience of growing up in school. Find out the areas where schools can make a real difference to their mental health, gain a greater understanding of the male perspective on mental health issues and how schools can provide support.

Dr Carl Harris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, shares his thoughts on how best to support young people when they present with a mental health difficulty in school. He offers excellent advice on creating a model that builds confidence for mental health leads, teachers and staff as well as students - a process that provides support for everyone involved. He also offers strategies for managing exam stress and how to identify those vulnerable to anxiety at this potentially stressful time.

What's at the heart of this inspection from a mental health perspective? Anna Bateman presents a step by step guide. This guide is based on my opinion and interpretation of the handbook and the links to mental health, having analysed reports and spoken to senior leaders who have experienced the new inspection framework. Listen now to hear an in depth analysis of the changes you need to be aware of, and how these will affect your school.framework.Our accompanying handout gives you a comprehensive 10 step guide to the new OFSTED Framework and makes recommendations for your next steps to implement the required changes in your school. We recommend downloading this guide for reference as you listen to the podcast.

Three students from Year 10 share their thoughts and insights into what it is like growing up in a world full of social media, the positives and negatives, and the issues that really lie at the heart of their anxieties. They offer suggestions for how schools and teachers can do things that, for them, would make a huge difference. Visit www.Halcyon.education.com/podcasts/ for free detailed resources and training materials that accompany this podcast. With huge thanks to National Online Safety (NOS), sponsors of this episode.

Dr Carl Harris lifts the lid on what happens when students attend their first and subsequent meeting with a CAMHS specialist. He also explains how schools can help whilst waiting for CAMHS or if students do not meet the threshold for CAMHS. We apologise that there is some interference to sound quality during part of this podcast and hope that it does not detract from your enjoyment of this episode.

Welcome to Halcyon Podcasts. I'm delighted to bring you a new series of podcasts that puts mental health and wellbeing in schools at its core. Each podcast contains in depth interviews with everyday experts who share their wisdom, thoughts, insights and ideas. We hear from pupils too, who speak candidly about the challenges they face day to day.

In the first of the Halcyon Podcast series released 16th September, Anna Batemen interviews Estelle Morris, former Secretary of State for Education. Estelle is currently working at the Institute of Effective Education and is Chair and advisor for the Birmingham Education Partnership. Estelle shares her vision for ensuring wellbeing is at the heart of every school's vision alongside a good standard of education. In the current political and economic climate, it's understandable that schools focus on results and academic attainment, however Estelle believes that following a broader curriculum, allowing space for creativity and valuing the whole school community creates an environment where mental health and wellbeing are more likely to thrive. Listen to find out more, follow us to never miss an episode https://halcyon.education/podcasts