Proactive Mental Health Support Across Windsor Academy Trust Schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme

In Newcastle-under-Lyme, a proactive and collaborative approach to mental health is supporting students across Windsor Academy Trust’s secondary schools. Working with the NHS Combined Services Mental Health Support Team (MHST), these schools have embedded preventative mental health work through a whole-school approach - benefiting students, staff and families alike.

At Clayton Hall Academy, the school benefits from a dedicated weekly Mental Health Worker, who provides informal drop-in support for Key Stage 4 students in the morning in the school Bistro, alongside targeted 1:1 sessions with students referred by the pastoral team. He also leads a transition support programme for Year 7 students who find the move to secondary school challenging, helping them build resilience and settle into their new environment.

In response to student feedback from a safeguarding survey, Clayton Hall also launched a sleep wellbeing campaign in collaboration with MHST. This included assemblies, PSHE sessions, a parent information event, a social media campaign, fundraising for Windsor Academy Trust’s Bed and Breakfast Campaign, and a new “sleep hygiene” section on the school website, raising awareness of sleep as a critical factor in student health and learning.

At Sir Thomas Boughey Academy, a Mental Health Practitioner delivers exam stress workshops with groups of Year 11 students. The session introduced students to the CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) cycle - helping them explore how thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected, and how mindset can influence outcomes.

Students openly share their individual worries and learn how to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns. They each leave with a take-home workbook covering the session content, including revision tips and wellbeing strategies.

Across all three schools, MHST practitioners offer:

Group sessions including assemblies and workshops

1:1 support for students with emerging needs

Advice and support for staff and parents on student mental health

This partnership shows the power of early, preventative action, embedding mental health into everyday school life, reducing stigma, and equipping young people with the tools they need to thrive.