School
Services

Services to schools and education settings

Would your setting benefit from our bespoke and person-centered support?

We work with students and staff to offer a comprehensive service to schools and education settings. We recognise that every setting is unique and our approach is designed to fit seamlessly with your current systems and operations with the aim of providing an exceptional service, offering value for money and above all, to help make a difference!

At a time when budgets and staffing teams may be stretched, let us help boost your pastoral team numbers without the commitment of a full-time member of staff. We offer flexible and adaptable support, starting from as little as half days per week and coupled with our commitment to offer incredible services at great value, why pay more for the support you need?

Whether your setting would benefit from our brand of mentoring support, you require consultation on school matters or would like to explore CPD for staff, why not contact us today to discover more about what we can offer?

Services to schools and education settings:

  • We work within your team and set ups but we also work independently. Following a brief induction, you can expect us to collect students from class for their sessions, complete profiles and effectively manage time without the need for consistent staff support.

  • Over 70 years’ combined experience of working with children and young people in school settings.

  • A focus on the key elements of behaviour and SEMH support, both areas covered by just one organisation.

  • Vast experience in a range of fields, including: student support, pastoral management, staff management, senior leadership, academic progress monitoring, safeguarding support and primary-secondary transition.

  • An understanding of mental health support for young people, including qualifications such as certification in person-centred counselling skills.

  • Increase your setting’s pastoral capacity at relatively low cost, bespoke support for your school offering incredible value for money.

  • Competency in using education-based systems including Bromcoms, SIMS and CPOMS.

  • Enhanced DBS checked staff, available on the update system and our own safeguarding policy worked alongside that of your setting.

Student Support Services

Mentoring support: behaviour

We bring our signature, bespoke mentoring support into your setting, providing students with a service which puts them at the heart of the work we do. If you have students who are at risk of managed moves or permanent exclusions, who present challenging behaviour, struggling to engage or you feel would benefit from simply having an outside ear, this service is ideal for your school!

Our support optimises a person-centered approach, giving young people the opportunity to share and discuss their experiences, thoughts and feelings in a judgement-free environment. Packed with positivity, we aim to empower and embolden, offering suitable strategies where required to reduce behaviour incidents, increase engagement and have an overall positive impact. We like to go the extra mile, so to increase engagement further, we offer a range of activities which can be undertaken in sessions to help and maintain a positive working relationship. From developing food recipes to various sports, from art and design to building with STEM sets including K’Nex and Meccano, we leave no stone unturned in discovering students’ likes and, where possible, incorporating them into sessions.

You can expect full collaboration with your current teams and systems, allowing our staff to seamlessly fit into your organisation and significantly increase the likelihood of positive impacts on students. Our profiling system also allows your staff to keep up-to-date with all aspects of session work undertaken as well as providing handy evidence of impact.

Mentoring support: wellbeing

If you have concerns regarding your students’ wellbeing or feel they have entry level mental health needs which are unlikely to meet criteria of more complex services, our wellbeing mentoring support aims to provide an assuring environment where they can discuss their experiences, free of judgement and with confidentiality. Using our person-centered approach, your students are afforded empathy and understanding, creating a strong environment in which to share their concerns. Whether you have students suffering with self-confidence, struggle with low-level anxiety, have recently experienced challenging life events or simply need someone to talk to not connected to their everyday life, our wellbeing support services can be of help. 

Utilising our skills and knowledge, we work with students to develop strategies which are tailor made to their experiences to help prevent a need to refer to more complex services later down the line. We build effective and trusting working relationships with your students to help boost confidence and self-resolution skills, allowing them to better manage life events as a young person in today’s society.

Consequently, we find that students we support with their SEMH and wellbeing needs show a range of improvements, from a developing self-awareness and ability to express themselves through to better engagement with school and stronger academic performance. 

Why not take a look at our SEMH video below to discover more! 

Student IAG: Personal Development

Although our behaviour and SEMH support has personal development themes throughout, highlighted through each students individual needs, we also provide specific development support for young people too.

Our 1:1 support already helps develop individual skills and characteristics, alongside promoting positive mental wellbeing, however our personal development support can be extended to small groups and provide a programme of support too.

Our support covers a range of topics including:

  • Positive mental wellbeing
  • Online risks to wellbeing
  • Offline risks to wellbeing
  • Social media and e-safety
  • Self use of mobile technology / social media
  • Soft skill development
 

Whether you have one or a small cohort of students would be benefit from intervention to aid their understanding of topics or dangers, our flexible support can be the solution you’re looking for.

Raise Pastoral Capacity

We know the challenges schools face today in balancing budgets with maintaining strong pastoral support for students. Utilising our many years of experience, we can boost your pastoral team’s capacity without the associated costs of a full time member of staff.

If you’ve identified a need within your school, we can offer temporary, ongoing or long-term support from as little as one day per week for a minimum of one half-term (subject to availability). 

We can support your school by adding capacity in the following areas:

  • Pastoral teams
  • Safeguarding teams
  • Student support teams
 

With over 70 years of experience in the education industry within our team, we bring with us an assurance to deliver high-quality support to your current teams and students at competitive rates; lightning the load on staff without the long term financial commitment. Contact us to see how we can support your schools staffing needs.

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.

Transition:

The primary to secondary transition period can be one of great worry for Year 6 students and their parents alike. A good start to high-school life can be so important to help new students settle into their surroundings and quickly gain a belonging. We have a combined experience of over twenty years in transition management and aim to bring the knowledge we have to both primary and secondary schools to support students and staff when it comes to the big move. If you’re a secondary looking to tweak your existing transition plans or a primary wanting to offer your staff guidance on high school life for Year 7s, why not contact us to see how we can help? You can find further information on our transition services on the dedicated transition page.

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.

Policy Development and CPD

Staff CPD:

We offer a range of staff and teacher CPD sessions, with options to suit all budgets. Pick from any of our services below and, if you’re looking to structure something more specific to meet your needs, contact us to discuss how we can help.

Our half-day CPD sessions cover:

  • Safeguarding
  • Engaging children & managing behaviour
  • Midday training

  • Supporting Year 6 with transition

If you’re looking for full-day programmes for your staff, complete with resources, why not select from our following offer:

  • Developing self esteem in students
  • Friendships
  • Worries
  • Adapting to change and loss
  • Self-regulation
  • Student behaviour


Finally, we can also offer staff training in team building and development. Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss how this can be arranged for your teams.

 

Senior Leadership CPD:

Coming Soon!

Head of Year CPD:

Coming Soon!

Policy Development:

Coming Soon!

What schools say about us...

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
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
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
Focusing Minds is a pivotal pastoral intervention at our academy. Andy provides 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
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