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Student Wellbeing

The welfare of our students is of paramount importance; we recognise that good wellbeing is at the heart of a healthy, happy, and successful life. At Barnsley Academy, we aim to support every student with their emotional health and wellbeing.

Our goal is to promote a positive culture around mental health. We encourage students to adopt positive strategies to help them look after their mental health, build resilience, and develop healthy habits that will support them throughout their lives.

Wellbeing and Our Rights Respecting School Ethos

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting School, student wellbeing is not only central to our values—it is part of our commitment to upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child across daily school life.

We actively promote and protect key rights linked to wellbeing, including:

  • Article 24 – The right to good health and wellbeing
    We ensure students have access to wellbeing support, trusted adults, and a safe, healthy school environment.

  • Article 12 – The right to be listened to and have their views taken seriously
    Students are encouraged to share their feelings, seek help, and take an active role in shaping wellbeing initiatives through student voice activities, surveys, and pastoral conversations.

  • Article 19 – The right to be safe and protected
    Our safeguarding and pastoral systems are built around early help, strong relationships, and ensuring every child feels secure.

  • Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents, and abilities
    Our wellbeing education in PSHE, assemblies, and form time helps students develop resilience, confidence, and emotional literacy.

Embedding children’s rights into our culture strengthens our wellbeing offer and reinforces the message that every student is valued, respected, and entitled to support.

A Whole-School Approach to Wellbeing

We believe wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility. All staff are committed to creating a caring, supportive, and inclusive environment where students feel safe, valued, and heard. Through our daily interactions, curriculum, and pastoral support, we work proactively to help students develop confidence, self-awareness, and emotional strength.

How We Support Our Students

At Barnsley Academy, students benefit from a wide range of wellbeing support, including:

  • A dedicated Pastoral Team who provide day-to-day guidance, mentoring, and intervention.
  • Designated Safeguarding Leads who ensure the safety and emotional welfare of every child.
  • In-school wellbeing support, including check-ins, safe spaces, and targeted sessions for students who need additional help.
  • Strong partnerships with external agencies to ensure students receive specialist support when required.
  • Curriculum-based wellbeing education, including PSHE and assemblies that focus on mental health awareness, positive relationships, resilience, and personal development.

Promoting Positive Mental Health

We actively promote mental health and wellbeing through:

  • Encouraging students to speak openly about their feelings and experiences.
  • Teaching strategies such as mindfulness, emotional regulation, and positive coping mechanisms.
  • Providing resources and guidance to help students manage stress, build confidence, and maintain a healthy work–life balance.
  • Celebrating achievements, recognising effort, and fostering a sense of belonging and pride.

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

We recognise the crucial role families play in supporting student wellbeing. We work closely with parents and carers to ensure a joined-up approach, offering advice, regular communication, and guidance on how to support children at home. Our team is always available to discuss any concerns and signpost to external services when needed.

If You Have Concerns

If you are worried about your child’s wellbeing, please contact a member of our pastoral or safeguarding team. No concern is ever too small, and we are here to help.

External resources

We are aware that students may find it helpful to access external sources of help. We would suggest that the following websites are a good place to start. Students would be welcome to discuss any of these with any of the pastoral support team listed above.

CEOP - Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

CEOP is here to keep children safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying, fake accounts or account hacking.

We are here to help and give you advice, and you can make a report directly to us if something has happened online which has made you feel unsafe, scared or worried. This might be from someone you know in real life, or someone you have only ever met online. We take all reports seriously and we will do everything we can to keep you safe.

As well as making a report to us, the CEOP Thinkuknow website has information and advice to help you if something has happened to you online.

Make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors

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CEOP - Online Friends

What do you like to do online? Watch videos? Post pictures? Play games? Whatever you like doing, if you use the internet you might have met people online who want to chat.

They might leave comments on your posts or request to be your friend or follower. Maybe they say they live near you or like the same music as you.

With over 4 billion people on the internet there are plenty of people to meet. It can be fun chatting to people who are interested in the same things as us. Some people online will be honest and just want to chat or be friends. However, not everyone you chat to online will be who they say they are.

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YoungMinds - Crisis Messenger

The YoungMinds Crisis Messenger text service provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need support, you can text YM to 85258.

We know that finding the right support is important, especially if you need someone to talk to right now. We aim to connect every texter to a trained volunteer promptly to provide crisis help. They will listen to you and help you think more clearly, enabling you to know that you can take the next step to feeling better.

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