VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM
View from the classroom
T
his month, well-known education journalist Sal McKeown speaks to Laurie Cornwell, Executive Head of YPA and The Skills Hub, to find out more about the work her schools are doing to improve the educational outcomes of the young people in her care, and to offer advice to practitioners facing similar challenges.
are at risk of exclusion. It has a transient population of 60 to120 young people. The students do not have statements or plans but approximately 60% are eligible for PPG. Students at the Skills Hub are 11 to 16 going on 30 and seem confident on the surface as if they know all the answers while the ones at The Young People’s Academy seem younger, and less mature. However, there is common ground: both groups are likely to shout and swear and break things when they're not happy.
All our students are vulnerable: some self- harm, have problems managing anger, depression, anxiety and may have suicidal thoughts. Some are at risk from domestic violence, child sexual exploitation and some engage in high-risk behaviours such as taking drugs, arson and violence. In some cases we support parents and carers as well as the students.
What challenges did you face when you took over?
Tell us about your school
The first thing to say is that I have two schools. I am executive headteacher of the Skills Hub and the Young People's Academy (YPA) which are both in Hillingdon.
I took over YPA when it converted to academy status. It is a special school for 70 learners with social emotional and mental health issues, sponsored by Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust which has four local community hubs in London and Surrey. All the students have a statement of educational needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan and approximately 80% of students are eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant. The Skills Hub is alternative provision for students who cannot attend mainstream school for a variety of reasons but predominantly because they have been permanently excluded or
YPA was a poorly performing special school when I became the Executive Head Teacher. Several areas had been highlighted by OFSTED as requiring improvement. Initially we focused on teaching and learning but soon realised that helping our young people to attain emotional stability was a vital first step. Without stability and a sense of security a child cannot learn. Attendance has been a key issue for the school, although things are improving. There are now many measures in place to encourage good attendance. The students keep regular school hours but start later. Research has shown that Circadian rhythms in teenagers are better if they do not have too early a start. Both schools are in Hillingdon but some of the young people come from further afield so again it works better if the school day starts later.
The centres had a good record for helping leavers into traineeships, apprenticeships or FE but I felt we could do better. We weren’t always addressing young people's mental health, so they were not flourishing as they should have done. It
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www.education-today.co.uk February 2018
seemed to me that the schools showed no real understanding of students’ needs and that there was a punitive system in place. It was all about trying to make young people fit a system and did not recognise students in crisis or indeed how school might be adding to the pressure.
How did you make changes?
I was looking for a catalyst to kickstart change in school. At a conference in Birmingham I met Dr Asha Patel, a clinical psychologist who had recently set up a community interest company called Innovating Minds. She was advocating a holistic whole-school approach to mental health. I liked the fact that it was not just about students but looked at staff welfare too. It was a whole package which made sense to me. If we look after young people's mental health and well- being, we also need to look after our own. Asha and her team came to support both centres. They and worked with 79 students: 23 students directly through 1:1 sessions, 5 parents/carers through 1:1 sessions, and the remaining 56 students through a consultation model.
They ran a Mental Health First Aid course with 53 staff members to help them be more
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