We are delighted to share that our Director of Pastoral Care, Olivia Isaac, was recently featured on The Independent Teacher podcast, hosted by Susan Pallister.
In an insightful episode, Olivia discussed how we are working to embed a positive mental health culture into everyday life at Barney.
A proactive, data-driven approach
One of the key talking points was how Barney utilises data-driven pastoral care. By using platforms like STEER, we can proactively measure the mental health of our young people. This allows us to identify students potentially at risk of a mental health crash before they happen, ensuring that the right interventions are put in place at exactly the right time.
Embedding wellbeing into the curriculum
Pastoral care is a core part of our students’ daily experience. Within the podcast, Olivia shines a light on the Headspace curriculum she founded at Barney, which is a dynamic curriculum that tackles and responds to what is happening nationally as well as addressing specific trends within the school.
She highlights the importance of regular one-to-one support with tutors, which helps students to “build trusting relationships with adults.” Olivia also discusses the significance of reflection, and how she encourages journalling to help students reflect on their goals and aspirations, from Year 7 all the way to Sixth Form.
Empowering pupils to support their peers, Olivia also highlights how a number of Sixth Form pupils have undertaken Mental Health First Aid training.
Staying ahead of a digital world
A major focus for Olivia is ensuring that our pastoral support evolves alongside the challenges students face outside the classroom. To maintain this proactive stance, Olivia consistently undertakes CPD and attends conferences to better understand the impact of the likes of TikTok and emerging social media trends on young people.
This research directly informs our Parent Forums, where we tackle modern challenges together, including recent workshops on incel culture and the ‘manosphere’. As Olivia noted during the episode: “I look out for opportunities and keep up to date on what is happening in our students’ world.”
It is this commitment to staying current and informed that keeps our community strong and our students safe.
You can listen to the full podcast episode and hear more from Olivia here.
