All of our students are assigned a class teacher when they arrive at the school. The class teacher is an essential link between school and home, and often the first port of call if a student or parent/carer has a query or concern. Class teachers will support students with curriculum learning, pastoral care, uniform and organisation, as well as providing emotional support if they feel worried or overwhelmed. All teachers take a Thrive approach to dealing with pupil’s behaviour and pastoral care.

Class teachers can be briefly spoken to at the start and end of the day. For meetings or longer conversations, please call or email the office to arrange a convenient time for all.

Emotional wellbeing is extremely important to the school, and we have a dedicated wellbeing room which is open to all.

All of our lunchtime supervisors are Opal trained to resolve any behaviour issues and support all pupils emotionally. Our staff will teach pupils how to develop friendships, play games and aid their mental health and wellbeing.

We have access to the starting well school nursing team. Families or professionals can make referrals: Request support from the Worcestershire School Nursing Service | Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

They offer a variety of support including dental health, hygiene support, low mental health signposting as well as support with general health.

Our programme of study from Kapow is designed ensuring our PSHE education that matches our pupils’ needs.

It covers the breadth of PSHE from all statutory RSHE requirements (including Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education) to economic wellbeing and careers.

We are proud to be a Thrive school. Offering Thrive lessons to every child every week. Some children have additional individualised targeted support where our trained Thrive Licenced Practitioners will plan and implement individualised targeted support. This could be in the form of 1;1 or small group intervention. The Thrive Approach draws on insights from these fields to provide a powerful way of working with children and young people that supports optimal social and emotional development. In addition, the Approach can equip you to work in a targeted way with children and young people who may have struggled with difficult life events to help them re-engage with life and learning.

We value the input and feedback of all parents and strive to develop strong links. Abbeywood has a ‘CTA’ and is looking at bespoke ways to hear the voice of families from all social-economic backgrounds. It is vital that all parents feel empowered to have their say and work with the academy to build strong relationships for the students.

If you would like to be involved in the CTA or volunteer support, please contact the main office.

Community based support working with students and parents. We work extremely closely with our community policing team as part of our wider family. Our PCSO is Ryan Peasley who can be contacted via the school or on:

churchhill.snt@westmercia.pnn.police.uk.

Ryan and his team visit the school frequently offering scheduled sessions, targeted interventions and supporting assemblies giving our children the opportunity to learn key skills from the professionals themselves. As the children get older and travel through Church Hill, they have the opportunity to attend drop-in sessions with Ryan and his team to discuss any concerns they may have. These have proved to be vital in the reassurance of our young people as well as building safer networks throughout Church Hill.

National Online Safety keep children safe online by providing online safety education, training and updates which empowers the whole school community. You can find guidance for the following on https://nationalonlinesafety.com/ Please register and get regular updates on keeping your children safe online.

• Gaming
• Mental Health
• Online Bullying
• Online Identity
• Online Information
• Online Platforms
• Online Relationships
• Privacy and Security
• Social Media
• Streaming
• Technology

Our Education Welfare Officer is available to support all pupils with attendance. Alongside our EWO we have an attendance officer, senior leader for attendance and SENDCO. All work with a SEMH focus in supporting children to overcome barriers to school and learning.

Should you need any support with attendance, please contact the main office.

Our DSLs safeguard all children across Abbeywood. The DSL is the person appointed to take lead responsibility for child protection issues in school. If you wish to discuss any potential safeguarding issues, please contact the main office and ask to talk to the safeguarding lead, Charlotte Hughes.

Healthier Families - Home - NHS 

Nutrition | Home-Start UK 

If you have any concerns about your child’s friendships or potential bullying at school, it is important to contact the class teacher as soon as possible. Any concerns raised will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and handled with sensitivity. We are committed to ensuring that your child feels safe, supported, and listened to throughout the process.

Further support for friendships, bullying and supporting your child can be found here:

Bullying Support and Advice 

Get help - Find services and support to help your child's health and wellbeing | Herefordshire and Worcestershire CAMHS 

We are pleased to share a selection of helpful links and resources about healthy sleeping habits. These materials provide practical advice and guidance to help children develop positive bedtime routines and get the rest they need.

Good quality sleep is essential for children’s wellbeing, helping them to concentrate, regulate their emotions, and feel ready to learn each day. The resources below include tips for creating consistent bedtime routines, reducing screen time before bed, and supporting children in getting enough sleep for their age.

Please take a moment to explore the links and use them as a guide for supporting healthy sleep habits at home.

Get Involved - The Sleep Charity

Sleep and Young Children - NHS 

Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text support service for anyone in the UK who is struggling to cope.

Please follow the link below;

https://giveusashout.org/

AOK – Acts of Kindness.

The aim of AOK is to alleviate hunger and poverty in our local community. We provide food and good quality clothing to those in need.

We’re an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks. We work together to ensure no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive, while providing food and practical support to people left without enough money to live on.

Touchstones is a small, local charity with one very simple aim – to be there for any bereaved child and young person in North East Worcestershire – including Redditch, Bromsgrove, Wythall, Rubery, Hagley.

Every child or young person who goes through the tragedy of bereavement needs loving support as they face their loss, but sometimes additional support from outside their family can help them through their pain and grief. The team have years of experience in working with children and young people struggling to deal with the loss of a loved one.

They provide free one-to-one support and weekend experiences for local children and young people who have had someone that they love very much die.

Additionally, Touchstones is here to advise families and schools on how to support children and young people through bereavement, including pre-school children who are best supported by their own family. They can also offer advice and support to schools in the event of a sudden death in the school community. They also offer training packages, tailored to the needs of individual schools.

For more information, please look at their website https://touchstones-support.org.uk, call Vicki Quarton on 07547 367267 or email  info@touchstones-support.org.uk

Winston’s Wish

Winston's Wish give hope to grieving children and provide support for children and young people following the death of a sibling, parent, or a person important to a child. Families and professionals can refer. Find out more https://www.winstonswish.org/

Some of our more vulnerable students may need extra support. Our mainstream support base provides a safe haven for some of our more vulnerable students. The SEND Team will assess the level of intervention required using set criteria and will scaffold provision for identified children.

We understand that there are life events that can impact on how your child feels. Whether this is friendship issues, bereavement, loss, or transitional changes, we take all behaviours and emotions seriously. We work with our pupils and families in building emotional resilience through a graduated approach. This starts from class teacher monitor right up to enrichment. Once parents have highlighted a need to their child's class teacher, internal referral systems are activated passing the concern to the senior leadership. Through the referrals we set the graduate approach into action. We also work closely with many outside agencies to ensure that your child is receiving the right support and the right time.

We offer a whole school approach package whereby the whole school community are working towards smashing the stereotype around mental health and wellbeing. Alongside the NHS’s 5 ways to wellbeing and our thrive approach, PSHE curriculum and trauma informed approach we teach children that everyone has mental health, that mental health is on a continuum, and they are helpful and positive strategies that we can use to ensure our own mental health remains positive.

We offer a range of activities and event throughout the year that support wellbeing to ensure that every child has the opportunity to foster good habits to nurture positive outcomes for all.

Our objective is to support and equip students with additional needs to fulfil their academic and personal potential, ensuring they are given equal opportunities, enabling and encouraging them to feel valued members of our school community.

We have a highly experienced and qualified body of staff who specialise in a range of additional needs. Our aim is to ensure not only academic progress for all our students, but also to support their social and emotional well-being.

Our team are able to assess and where necessary, refer the young person for further specialist assessment or intervention. We have an excellent relationship with external agencies and work in close collaboration to ensure there is a successful team around the child.

There are various online toolkits which can provide further information, advice and support for parents and carers:

www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/families -Understanding your child with ASD, SED support group

We encourage parents of ASD children to seek help through the following websites; https://www.autismlinks.co.uk/ https://www.aspie.org.uk/

Molehill Mountain | Autistica App to help autistic children manage their anxiety https://www.tastelifeuk.org/ eating disorder support and information

https://www.hwsendiass.co.uk/

NSPCC / Childline - supports young people with depression, anxiety and mental health. They help parents and children who may be struggling with their mental health or anxiety and offer advice and support. Help for adults concerned about a child: Call on 0808 800 5000. Help for children and young people. Call Childline on 0800 1111. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/childrens-mental-health/depression-anxiety-mental-health/ 

https://www.childline.org.uk/

BENS Groups offer 121 wellbeing coaching and peer support sessions for young people and their parents. We facilitate communication and mediate with young people and parents to improve family relationships and we also liaise with schools, social care and other agencies. They support young people who: struggle to communicate; have social anxiety; worry so much that it affects their day-to-day life; Autism/Asperger’s; sensory processing disorder; ADHD, ODD, SPD; anger issues; low confidence and self-esteem; mental health issues; struggle to manage or recognise emotions. ​Call on 07958 100 433 or email info@bensgroups.co.uk. More information: https://www.bensgroups.co.uk/. Location: The Old Needle Works, Britten St, Redditch B97 6HD, UK

They host a variety of mental health support and learning opportunities for the community of Redditch. They are committed to supporting our community, raising people’s confidence and wellbeing and developing positive mental attitudes through our life coaching projects. Call on 01527 69100 or email info@theoldneedleworks.co.uk. Location: Britten House, Britten Street, Redditch, B97 6HD

Family Thrive is a program of work that is offered to selected families working together to ensure the ripple effect that is created in school reaches the furthest points of our community. We work by the knowledge that Thrive is for everyone!

Thrive helps us to check children’s readiness to learn, to identify any gaps and then plan to meet them. Through doing so, we will be able to make sure that all of our pupils have what they need to make the best possible progress in their learning. What does it take to develop healthy, happy, confident children who are ready and open to learning? Recent advances in neuroscience, attachment theory and child development have provided some of the answers to this question.

 If you would like to find our more, please contact the main office and ask when sessions are run.

We offer a variety of games, clubs, and emotional support, for those students who prefer quiet time or find social times difficult. The children gain new friendships which help them build their confidence and resilience to support them move on to larger social environments such as the playground.

Early Help means providing help and support to a child, young person or their family. If you are experiencing difficulties in your family or are worried about your children, there are people who can offer help and support. You might be having difficulties with: mental health; domestic abuse; debt; housing; your child’s schooling; being a lone parent. Early help provides support as soon as a problem appears. Call on 01905 846783 or find out more https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/early-help-family-support 

Early Help in Worcestershire – support for families handbook: https://hartlebury.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Early-Help-in-Worcestershire-Booklet.pdf

The Family Front Door is the referral point for all referrals where members of the community and professionals refer children and young people living in Worcestershire where they are worried about their safety and welfare. The Family Front Door, Initial Contact and Referral Team is the central point for all referrals for children and young people aged 0 to 18 years and living in Worcestershire. Call on 01905 822666 or out of hours 01905 768020. Find out more https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/childrens-social-care/refer-childrens-social-care

They provide a variety of services from our Family Hubs, including parenting courses and groups, community activities, health visiting clinics and vitamin collections. https://www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/hollytrees/ or call 01905 520 032

Offer support for children that may be suffering with their mental health. They provide advice and help to parents or directly to children. Find out more website; https://youngminds.org.uk/

This service supports families, parents, children and young people across Worcestershire to lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. https://www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/

For our Church Hill Pupils - Kooth is suitable for children and young people aged 11 to 19 (25 in some areas). It can help with lots of different problems, including family problems, eating disorders, loneliness, bullying, anxiety and depression.  If you’d like to sign up with Kooth go to www.kooth.com and enter a user name and password.

Kooth is a free online service that offers emotional and mental health support for children and young people. When you sign up you can choose an avatar, which helps to keep you safe and anonymous.  You can have a "drop-in" chat with a counsellor or therapist or book a one-to-one session.

Kooth’s counsellors and therapists are available until 10pm, 365 days a year. You can talk to other young people anonymously on the forums whenever you like, and keep an online journal.

Subscribing to Kooth means you can read its online magazine and maybe even write for it. You can also use Kooth to set goals with your online counsellor or therapist and keep a record of how you are doing.  Evidence suggests that Kooth can help children and young people with a range of emotional and psychological problems.

PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. Suicide is the biggest killer of young people – male and female – under 35 in the UK. Every year many thousands more attempt or contemplate suicide, harm themselves or suffer alone, afraid to speak openly about how they are feeling. Helpline: 0800 068 4141.

Redditch Food Bank seeks not just to provide emergency food to those in need, but also to restore dignity and revive hope. Their aim is to provide short-term practical help alongside other agencies seeking to address client’s crises. The school is able to make direct referrals, please contact the main office or find out more https://redditch.foodbank.org.uk/ 

Should you wish to talk to the school about SEND, please contact the main office to talk to Alison Kemp. If you are looking for information or advice the following links will help you:

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/send-local-offer-0  or contact localoffer@worcschildrenfirst.org.uk

SEND Information, Advice, Support Service SENDIASS Worcestershire and Herefordshire

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/sendiass  

Social care support for children with disabilities https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/childrens-social-care/social-care-support-children-disabilities

www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/families -Understanding your child with ASD, SED support group

Educational Psychologist assessment

The Complex Communications Needs team

Molehill Mountain | Autistica App to help autistic children manage their anxiety

https://www.tastelifeuk.org/  eating disorder support and information

https://www.hwsendiass.co.uk/

Peer support | BENS Youth and Community Groups CIC | Worcestershire (bensgroups.co.uk) anxiety, ASD, adhd group and !:1 support redditch

If you are vulnerable and need support but are unable to seek help from family, friends and neighbours this service can support. Find out more from https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help and apply for support for : food and supplies; health and medication ; commitments ; connectivity and entertainment ; mental health and wellbeing ; business and money matters ; support for Ukrainian guests.

Helping hands, Crush, 1:1, Freedom Project www.westmerciawomensaid.org/services/children-and-young-people-services/

www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/families

Early Help - www.worcestershire.gov.uk/requestfamilysupport

Integrated Services for Looked After Children www.hacw.nhs.uk/isl/

If your child shows any signs of self‑harm or expresses thoughts of hurting themselves, please contact the school office immediately to arrange a meeting with the SENDCO or Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Together, school and home will create a support plan to ensure that all reasonable safeguarding measures are in place. We are committed to working in partnership with families to keep every child safe and supported. Further help and guidance can also be accessed through the services :
Anti-Bullying Pro

www.camhs.hacw.nhs.uk/reach4wellbeing  - mild to moderate anxiety groups and Berg (emotional regulation group).

CAMHS CAST consultation https://camhs.hacw.nhs.uk/cast

Or look for CAMHS BESTIE APP

This service is for anyone experiencing difficulties in their family or are worried about their children e.g. mental health problems / domestic abuse at home /drug or alcohol dependency / your child starting school / struggling as a lone parent / debt problems / housing problems. Professional or families can refer to this service. If you would like to self-refer please use the following link http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/childrenreferral . It also offers free online parenting courses available through Worcestershire County Council. Please visit at https://inourplace.co.uk/ for free courses or contact the school for a voucher code for further courses

WMRSASC is a free, confidential and non-judgemental support service for survivors who have experienced rape, assault, incest, sexual abuse, sexual harassment or any form of sexual attack, whether physical, verbal or emotional. The trauma caused by sexual abuse may not surface for many years after the event. They treat all calls equally, sensitively and confidentially, appreciating the courage required to break silence, overcome guilt and threats, and share the events of the past whether they happened days or years ago. Their website will help you find information about their services, about rape and sexual abuse, about helping and being helped: https://www.wmrsasc.org.uk/

The Reach4Wellbeing Team is part of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), it promotes and supports emotional wellbeing for children and young people aged 5-18 years old. They work in: Wyre Forest, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon. Offering short-term group support programmes for those experiencing mild to moderate emotional difficulties, specifically anxiety and low mood. These programmes are based on skills which research has discovered helps children and young people with these difficulties. Government recommendations promote group work as the first way to help children and young people with these issues as early as possible. Find out more https://www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/reach4wellbeing/

CAMHS is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their emotional or behavioural wellbeing. Local areas have a number of different support services available. These might be from the statutory, voluntary or school-based sector, such as an NHS trust, local authority, school or charitable organisation. CAMHSCAST is a service which sits within Worcestershire CAMHS. They work directly with professionals who are working with young people, experiencing or at risk of experiencing mental health difficulties. The service offers consultation, advice and support.

To access CAMHS a referral process will have been followed including a CAMHS assessment. This referral can come from a parents/carers, a teacher, GP, or child (if old enough). You can find out more https://camhs.hacw.nhs.uk/referrals/#:~:text=Worcestershire%20CAMHS%20CAST%20referral%20information&text=Referrals%20for%20CAMHS%20CAST%20must,is%20available%20in%20this%20leaflet.

Domestic Violence Assist

Domestic Violence Assist are available to provide immediate help to victims of domestic violence. Please follow the link below;

https://www.dvassist.org.uk/domestic-violence-assist

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass’ aim is to ensure schools have timely information about all police attended incidents of domestic abuse.  The notifications enable key staff to support children experiencing domestic abuse receive timely support.  Please follow the link below;

https://www.operationencompass.org/

Hestia bright sky

Bright Sky is a safe, easy to use app and website that provides practical support and information on how to respond to domestic abuse. It is for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else.  Please follow the link below;

https://www.hestia.org/brightsky

Countries around the world are facing rising goods and energy prices, inflation and cost of living pressures.

We know people are worried so the government is offering help for households. See what cost of living support you could be eligible for by following the link below;

https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/

Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living.  Please follow the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living

Worcestershire County Council have developed a virtual family hub to give you a range of resources to help support you and your family, add link underneath

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/childrens-social-care/virtual-family-hub

What Melo Can Offer : Individual Support Melo Practitioners will provide a broad range of interventions designed to develop coping skills and techniques for individuals as well as family support. They will be a constant presence and point of contact for children, young people and families through their time within the service.

Melo :: Onside, Worcestershire & Herefordshire