Student Mental Health
At Sir John Lawes, we prioritise positive mental health within our school community, recognising the increasing importance of addressing student well-being. We actively promote emotional resilience, guiding students through the challenges of modern life. Our commitment to supporting students' mental health is reflected in a robust pastoral system, encompassing Form Tutors, Heads of Year, and Student Service Managers. The ACE principle of ‘Care’ underscores our dedication to fostering a nurturing environment.
Our Life Skills and Core Enrichment curriculum integrates comprehensive coverage of mental health, empowering students with essential coping mechanisms and awareness. Through tutor time, we also delve into a spectrum of well-being issues. To ensure relevance and effectiveness, we actively engage our student community by regularly surveying them on their needs and well-being. This proactive approach enables us to tailor our support initiatives to address the real-time concerns and aspirations of our students, creating a school environment that truly nurtures their mental and emotional well-being.
“Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, its still an illness, and there should be no distinction” Michelle Obama
If parents or students have concerns, we encourage them to reach out to their Form Tutor, SSM, or Head of Year. E-mail contacts are below:
|
Role |
Name | |
|---|---|---|
|
Mental Health Lead |
Miss O'Brien | vobrien@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
| Head of Year 7 | Mr Barry | |
|
Head of Year 8 |
Mr Mason | tmason@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Head of Year 9 |
Mr Bloxham | jbloxham@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Head of Year 10 |
Miss Woolrych | rwoolrych@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Head of Year 11 |
Ms Marino | vmarino@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Head of Sixth Form |
Ms Calverley | scalverley@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Student Services Manager KS3 |
Mrs Button | cbutton@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Student Services Manager KS4 |
Mrs Beckett | dbeckett@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
|
Student Services Manager KS5 |
Mrs P Akhtar | pakhtar@sjl.herts.sch.uk |
Additional Support
|
Role |
Name |
|---|---|
|
Counselling |
Mrs Blackmore |
|
NLP |
Mrs Thomas |
|
Wellbeing Room |
Miss O'Brien |
|
Attendance |
Mrs Hackwood |
|
Art Wellbeing |
Miss Richardson |
Sir John Lawes School's First Aid for Mental Health Initiative
1 in 5 teens has had a serious mental health disorder at
some point in their life.
50% of all mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by the mid-20s.
Data from Mental Health First Aid
 |
Sir John Lawes has created a dedicated well-being toolkit, ‘My Oasis’, which is accessible to students at any time, further reinforcing our commitment to their holistic development. Simply scan this QR code for access to the toolkit. |
Additionally, please explore the wealth of support links below.
Anxiety
Health for Teens - Chat Health
You can also speak to your GP
Bereavement
Depression / Low Mood
Eating Disorder
Self-harm
Telephone Helplines
- Suicidal - call 999
- Samaritans - are someone to talk to 24/7, 365 days a year call 116 123
- Childline - is a confidential service for young people up to the age of 19. You can contact a ChildLine counsellor about anything - no problem is too big or too small. Call 0800 1111
- CALM – for men aged 15+ 0800 585 858
