School
Services

School SEMH, Behaviour, Wellbeing & Pastoral Support Services

At Focusing Minds CIC, we provide specialist education support services designed to help schools improve student wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, engagement and personal development.

Working with primary schools, secondary schools, academies, alternative provisions, specialist settings and local authorities, we deliver flexible and cost-effective support tailored to the needs of individual schools and students.

Our experienced practitioners understand the increasing pressures facing schools and the growing demand for high-quality pastoral, SEMH and safeguarding support. We work alongside school leaders, SENDCOs, DSLs, pastoral teams and teaching staff to provide practical interventions that create meaningful and sustainable outcomes for children and young people.

With over 70 years of combined experience across education, safeguarding, behaviour support, youth work and wellbeing services, we help schools strengthen support for vulnerable learners while reducing pressure on existing staff teams.

Schools choose Focusing Minds because we offer a personalised and relationship-based approach that places the needs of young people at the centre of everything we do.

Our services are designed to complement existing school provision and can be delivered on a short-term, medium-term or ongoing basis.

Benefits of working with us include:

  • Increased pastoral and wellbeing capacity
  • Specialist SEMH support for students
  • Behaviour mentoring and intervention programmes
  • Attendance and re-engagement support
  • Safeguarding and early intervention services
  • Flexible staffing and outreach solutions
  • Staff training and professional development
  • Cost-effective support without long-term staffing commitments
  • Detailed communication and progress reporting
  • Seamless integration with school systems and procedures

 

All staff hold Enhanced DBS clearance and work in accordance with both our safeguarding procedures and your school’s safeguarding policies.

Student Support Services

SEMH Support for Schools

Supporting Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs can significantly impact a student’s ability to engage with learning, build relationships and achieve their potential.

Our SEMH support services provide early, entry-level intervention and targeted support for pupils experiencing emotional, behavioural or wellbeing challenges.

We work with students experiencing:

  • Anxiety and worries
  • Low confidence and self-esteem
  • Emotional regulation difficulties
  • Friendship and relationship challenges
  • School avoidance
  • Social isolation
  • Anger and frustration
  • Emerging mental health concerns
  • Life changes and personal difficulties

 

Through structured one-to-one mentoring and tailored intervention programmes, students are supported to better understand their emotions, develop coping strategies and build resilience.

Our aim is to improve wellbeing, increase engagement and help young people feel more confident both in school and beyond.

Behaviour Mentoring and Intervention

Supporting Positive Behaviour and Engagement

Behaviour is often a form of communication. Our behaviour support programmes focus on understanding the reasons behind behaviour and helping students develop more positive ways to respond to challenges.

We provide behaviour mentoring for students who:

  • Are at risk of suspension or exclusion
  • Frequently receive behaviour sanctions
  • Struggle with emotional regulation
  • Display challenging behaviour
  • Have difficulty maintaining positive relationships
  • Are disengaged from learning
  • Require additional pastoral support

 

Using a non-judgemental and strengths-based approach, we build trusted relationships that allow students to reflect on their experiences, understand the impact of their behaviour and develop practical strategies for success.

Schools regularly report improvements in behaviour, engagement, confidence and classroom participation following intervention support.

Attendance Support and School Outreach Services

Improving Attendance Through Positive Relationships

Poor attendance can have a significant impact on educational outcomes, wellbeing and future opportunities.

Our attendance support and outreach services help schools identify and address the barriers preventing students from attending and engaging with education.

We work directly with students and families to:

  • Improve attendance and punctuality
  • Reduce emotionally based school avoidance
  • Re-engage students with education
  • Strengthen home-school relationships
  • Support reintegration following absence
  • Encourage positive routines and habits

 

Support may include mentoring, family engagement, outreach work, home visits and multi-agency collaboration where appropriate.

By building positive relationships and addressing underlying challenges, we help students reconnect with learning and improve long-term attendance outcomes.

Student Wellbeing and Personal Development

Helping Young People Build Confidence and Resilience

Personal development is a vital part of a young person’s educational journey.

Our wellbeing and personal development programmes help students develop the skills, confidence and resilience needed to navigate challenges both in school and in everyday life.

Programme themes can include:

  • Confidence and self-esteem
  • Resilience and coping strategies
  • Goal setting and motivation
  • Positive relationships
  • Emotional wellbeing
  • Online safety and digital wellbeing
  • Communication skills
  • Personal responsibility
  • Decision making
  • Future aspirations

 

Sessions are engaging, practical and tailored to the age, needs and experiences of participants.

Peer Buddy Training

Peer buddying pairs students together with the aim of developing a mutually rewarding partnership that encourages the development of soft skills, friendships and social interactions throughout the school day.

Our training helps older students understand the requirements of being a responsible and active buddy to a younger student in your setting. Training focuses on key areas, including conflict resolution, restorative conversations and how a student can position themselves to be a positive role model to younger children in your school. 

Alongside our training, if you have not implemented a buddy system in your school  before and want to get started, our consultation support can give you the practical tips and support you need to develop a thriving system that promotes the personal development of students in your setting.

 

Year 11 Revision

Good revision practices has been proven to contribute to better GCSE results for Year 11 students but it is equally important that, at this vital stage of their school careers, students are able to strike a balance between positive revision practices and looking after their wellbeing.

Our GCSE revision workshops demonstrate a number of effective strategies that students can implement to aid knowledge retention but we go much deeper than this. Along with strategies, we illustrate how a young person’s brain functions for students to gain an understanding of the revision process and help students discover how they can revise so the content they are covering sticks. 

Finally, we support students in developing an effective revision plan, delicately balancing revision practices without negatively impacting on health and mental wellbeing.

Our workshops can be delivered to suit any budget and with this in mind, they can be delivered as part of an enrichment day in your setting or delivered via student assemblies.

Outreach & Attendance:

Whether you’re a school setting with disengaged students, or are a referral unit setting or alternative provision provider with students attaining a low percentage of attendance, we offer outreach support to build bridges between home and school with the ultimate aim of getting young people back into education settings.

Through our approach, we take the time to build effective relationships with parents and young people in their own environment or locally, offering a consistent and reliable link back to school and education settings. We think outside the box to seek ways to increase or improve engagement and attendance but balance this to fit within your own establishment’s policies . Part of our work in this remit also offers relevant or necessary referrals to outside agencies where applicable, supporting not just the student but the family unit as a whole.

Primary to Secondary Transition Support

Supporting Successful School Transitions

The move from primary school to secondary school can be an exciting but challenging experience for many young people.

Our transition support programmes help students prepare emotionally, socially and practically for the next stage of their education.

We support students to:

  • Manage worries and anxieties about transition
  • Build confidence for their new environment
  • Develop organisational skills
  • Strengthen resilience and independence
  • Create positive expectations for secondary school

 

Transition support can be delivered through individual mentoring, group workshops or bespoke school programmes.

What schools say about us...

As a school we have been using Focusing Minds for over two years and the support they give to our students is superb. Their experience, knowledge and manner with our students helps them so much as part of a graduated response to their SEMH needs. The work has been so impactful that we have doubled the time we use their services. Our children develop in confidence and use supportive strategies to help them to function more and cope with the demands of school life. I would wholeheartedly recommend them to any educational setting.
Mark Allen - Principal, TASE, Barnsley
As a school, we have worked with Focusing Minds for a couple of years now and, throughout that time, they have consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism in their role, establishing a strong rapport with pupils and enabled a trusting environment for them. They are thorough in their approach, ensuring that they understand each pupil's needs and challenges. Their sessions have had a good impact on the children worked with, with many of them expressing how much they value their time with them and how positively it has affected their time at school. They have an empathetic and approachable nature which allows the children to feel heard and supported, which is reflected in their improved emotional and mental health.
Rachel Dawson - Principal, TA St Chads, Brighouse
I would thoroughly recommend Focussing Minds. They have worked with a broad range of pupils who have been referred for a variety of reasons. 100% of participants have engaged with their sessions, often citing them as a highlight in their week. They think about what they want to work through in their time and return to class regulated and ready to learn. The contact between Focussing Minds and our pastoral team is unlike any other service in terms of detail and speed – this ensures the sessions can support the pupils for the rest of the week, giving invaluable insight we just wouldn’t have without them. A worthy and effective investment.
Oliver Grant-Roberts - Principal, TA Akroydon, Halifax
Focusing Minds is a pivotal pastoral intervention at our academy. They provide a non-judgemental ear to many of our students posing behavioural challenges, repeatedly being suspended and who have mental health concerns. He is an asset to the team and constantly communicates with us around student concerns, strategies for the wider staff body to trial and uses our internal data systems to track student progress. He is fully committed to the students he intervenes with, not working in a silo as some other interventions we have trialled but understanding intervention only truly works when it compliments the core pastoral and safeguarding strategy.
Michaela Lancaster-Knaggs – Assistant Principal, Trinity Academy Cathedral, Wakefield
Focusing Minds have worked within our safeguarding team and as first aiders. They have been a dedicated member of our staff team and have worked incredibly hard to support the students at our school. They have been extremely conscientious and professional in all duties carried out. They have always been student focused going the extra mile to provide high quality support for all.
Sean Carragher - Vice Principal, All Saints Catholic College, Huddersfield
Focusing Minds support has and continues to be a great addition to our portfolio of services for the most vulnerable students in our settings. We recognise the positive impact the support has with our students, whether support is for behaviour, wellbeing or SEMH needs and students themselves speak highly of their sessions and how they are impacted by them.
Rob Marsh – Executive Principal, Trinity MAT
Focusing Minds are detailed, meticulous and methodical in contributions to our school. They maintain a high level of professionalism in all of their work. They support our students academically, emotionally and in their behaviour through excellent communication skills and genuine care for young people. They have also built excellent relationships with our primary stakeholders and this has ensured an extremely smooth transition to secondary school for students and their parents. They are highly knowledgeable of and experienced in the transition process.
Liz White - Assistant Headteacher, Alder CHS, Hyde