Student Mental Health

by Fortismere School in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Student Mental Health

Total raised £1,283

 
Gift Aid
+ est. £248.25
£30,000 target 65 days left
4% 25 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th January 2025 at 10:24am

Feeling Fit for Study at Fortismere Supporting student well- being and mental health at Fortismere we need support from you.

by Fortismere School in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Feeling Fit for Study at Fortismere

 

Supporting student well- being and mental health at Fortismere we need support from Parents.

 

This project funds all aspects of our wellbeing programme, including Place2be and our sixth form counselling service, which offers support via  an on-site (part time) counselling service based in the school. Students can access support either through  organised appointments to talk to a counsellor one to one, or drop in at break times with friends and have some talking therapy. We are extremely proud of our on-site facilities but such a service is a challenge to maintain in the current financial climate. However, we know that this is a vital part of our school’s provision:  the data Place2Be and our sixth form counselling service shared with us about last year’s usage showed that 65  pupils from Year 7-Year 11 benefitted from Place2be services last year, and 10 Year 12 &13 students (one with a ECHP) were seen by the Sixth Form counselling service which held 95 sessions with students and 20 supervisory sessions. This means that over 4% (75) of the student body at Fortismere accessed and were supported by the mental health services provided, students who may have struggled to reach the increasingly high thresholds set by Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHs).

 

Place2be has been working in partnership with schools to support children’s mental health for 24 years and with Fortismere for over 6 years. The charity believes children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties later in life if they receive support at an early age. Their research has found that three students in every classroom in Haringey have a diagnosable mental health problem, with half of those going on to develop a lifetime mental health issues having first experiencing symptoms by the age of 14 if left unsupported.

  

This helps to provide a context for why we feel the need is so very great for this service to be in place, and if we can secure funding (we are looking for around £30,000 at present to fund the whole project this year, and I am applying for funds from external funders as we speak) then the service (and other wellbeing  initiatives) will be able to carry on and the counsellors can increase the number of students they can see. There is a waiting list currently. Unfortunately, these are the kind of vital extracurricular projects which get squeezed when funding is so tight, and Haringey is unable to provide the additional support we and other schools need. Both the Place2Be and our counsellor have increased their fees this year in line with inflation and so the need for Fortismere to fund raise to support this service is even more vital.

 

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