Blogs

Hi my name is Sarah Cunningham and I’m an Assistant Head at Lea Forest Academy. For the past 16 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible pupils and staff.  

In my roles as PSHE leader and Deputy SENDCo, I’ve seen first-hand the significant impact of mental health on young learners. This experience inspired me to pursue an MSc in Psychology at Northumbria University 4 years ago.  

I’m excited to share my knowledge and experiences though this blog and I hope I can provide some practical tips to help you create a supportive and nurturing environment for all. 

My goal is to share insights from special education through my writing. I love creating visual tools for classrooms and am always looking for ways to improve pupil wellbeing. I am the Intervention Lead at Fitzwaryn Special School and hold an NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture. When I’m not working, I enjoy time with my family, listening to country music (preferably live) and being outdoors.

I have been a teacher for 30 years and the Senior Mental Health Lead at Archbishop Temple School since 2019. This role has given me many opportunities to expand my practice both in our local area and nationally and, most importantly, to support our children in the best way possible.

Nicola Bailey: NPQH, MEd, BPS is an Assistant Headteacher & strategic lead for SEND, Inclusion and Mental Health. She facilitates training on First Aid for Mental Health, Safeguarding, Inclusion, neurodiversity, and Racial Equity. She is actively engaged in working to transform the educational experiences of all children through writing, training and speaking events. 

Hi, I am Emma Buckle (nee Edwards) and have worked in a secondary setting since I trained as a fresh faced History teacher in 2006. I am an Assistant Headteacher, and have been the Senior Mental Health Lead at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Kingstanding for a number of years now, and (on the whole) absolutely love my job. As we all know, working in the education sector in the 21st Century can be an extremely demanding job, but I take great pride in my work and take great pleasure in supporting the pupils and staff with their wellbeing and mental health needs. I firmly believe that adopting a proactive approach to mental health is essential if our young people are to thrive - teaching them about emotional literacy, helping them understand their own complex thoughts and emotions, and encouraging them to practise and develop resilience or that essential 'bounce back' ability will set them up for a meaningful and successful life in the future. Equally, school staff need to be supported and protected to ensure they can fulfil their roles in a positive environment and lead happy, healthy lives themselves. This blog provides you with some of the insights I have gained over the years.