Around one in five children and young people aged 8–25 (20.3%) in England were identified as having a probable mental health condition in 2023. This is a significant increase from one in eight in 2017, with the highest rates seen among 17–19‑year‑olds, particularly young women (Source: NHS Digital, 2023).
Socio‑economic inequality continues to play a major role. Young people growing up in low‑income households are around four times more likely to experience serious mental health problems than those from the highest income households (Source: Mind – Mental Health and Poverty).
Newcastle University found that 66% of autistic adults have considered suicide, compared to 17% in the general population.
LGBTQ+ young people are also at significantly higher risk. Research from Stonewall shows that almost half of LGBTQ+ young people have thought about taking their own life, with trans and non‑binary young people at greatest risk (Source: Stonewall – LGBT in Britain: Health).
As the data highlights, our young people are in crisis and we need to do more to support this.
Many of our students at Inclusion College experience severe mental health needs, which can include suicidal thoughts and ideation, self-harm, loneliness and isolation and extreme anxiety. This is often co-occurring with Neurodivergence or additional learning needs. We are the only post 16 service in the area that provides this unique level of support for these differing needs.
One of the core priorities of Inclusion Education as an organisation is to provide a more holistic approach to education, responding to this ever increasing need to support the mental health and wellbeing of our learners along with their re-engagement with education that allows them to find their path.
At Inclusion College, we offer mental health and wellbeing support services to all our students, with our Gold Pathway offering the higher level of intervention. Our team of mental health support workers and Counsellors have significant experience in working with young people from a range of differing backgrounds and environments.
They are able to support and work with our young people experiencing issues which may include anxiety, bereavement, depression, self-harm, trauma, and gender or sexuality.
Our team have developed a student led approach which is adapted to best suit the needs of the individual they are working with, be that one on one sessions, group chat or more informal sessions.
The team listen and support in a confidential and non-judgmental way. Students have the opportunity to have an informal chat during the day or have timetabled sessions. These are not time limited.
Click the headings below to find out more information.
Our Wellbeing Team supports the student when they are struggling to access their learning. They do this through a mixture of working with them to understand what the issues and needs are in that moment. The ultimate objective is to get them back into the session with support, if necessary, or, alternatively, get the work from the classroom to do quietly in a separate place.
It is all about what the student needs in that moment and might be categorised as SEN, mental health, family or friendship issues.
There is a variety of staff from different departments who are on the Engagement team including SLT, teaching staff and the wellbeing team. The aim is to build the connections with the students and maintain the Whole College Approach based on our founding principles of The Inclusion Way ™️
We aim to offer support and assistance to our students, the goal to:
-increase their confidence,
-identify their interests, skills and personal qualities,
which enables them to discover their own individual pathway. We can then assist them to develop and build on these skills, progressing to whatever next steps they wish to make moving forward.
The mental health and well-being of our students and staff is at the heart of all that we do. We have developed a bespoke education programme of academic, pastoral and skill, tailored to the individual needs of every student. This approach is extremely important to us as an organisation and is extended to students, their family and support networks and our own staff.
Read about our interventions for more details on this approach.
We provide a range of interventions to support our students with their mental health and wellbeing, giving them the tools and scaffolding to find the best approach for them and help them rediscover their place in education and employment.
Our approach is to offer bespoke support which benefits the individual young person in our care, meeting their needs. These mental health and wellbeing support mechanisms can include:
Our Mental health Practitioner delivers 1:1 sessions with students using evidenced based CBT strategies. Each student has a goal to work towards, and strategies are shared accordingly. The strategies are a part of the interventions of Worry Management, Cognitive Restructuring and Brief Behavioural Activation. Set topics are offered each session but can be adapted based on how student is presenting in the session and if they have other things they wish to discuss through to help their wellbeing. Support is offered outside of these set 1:1s and students know that if they are feeling anxious or low and need a check in that they can indicate this through the sign in app and a member of the wellbeing team will speak to them that day.
Delivered by an experienced member of our support team, this intervention focuses on the student regulating their nervous system and coming up with strategies for students to utilise in everyday life. This is typically done on a 1:1 basis, however small groups are also possible. Some of the activities include but are not limited to physical movement, yoga, breathwork, meditation and healthy living.
Our on-site qualified counsellor uses her SEN knowledge and experience to provide therapeutic support for any students who would benefit and wish to engage. A therapeutic relationship is fostered and maintained by working creatively with students. Once trust is built, it makes it easier for the students to share concerns as they arise. If ongoing formal counselling is required, referral to an external therapist will be suggested.
As our learners are over 16 and often experience social isolation or have faced challenges in forming and maintaining friendships, we provide opportunities for them to access relationship, sex, and health support through one-to-one interventions. The RSE sessions are offered reactively, based on individual circumstances, and focus on topics such as friendships, relationships, growing up in the modern world, and developing confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. By nurturing these key areas, we aim to strengthen our students’ mental health and overall sense of purpose.
Our Pastoral Lead is part of the Wellbeing Team. They are able to offer different approaches and support for young people struggling to attend. For more information about the link between attendance and mental health, and the support we put in place to promote this, please see our Attendance Policy.
Evidence has shown that an effective approach to promote positive behaviour, social development and self-esteem is to couple positive classroom management techniques with one to one or small group sessions to help pupils identify coping strategies.
Inclusion College makes use of quiet and calm rooms and spaces where staff can take individual students and small groups to get ready for the day, talk about concerns and worries or to calm down if something has upset or angered them. This allows the students to have an outlet before settling into their academic sessions.
Our Engagement Team play a vital role in fostering a supportive, inclusive, and proactive learning environment. They support students who may be facing difficulties throughout the sessions.
Some of the areas they focus on are:
The team actively monitors student participation and steps in when engagement drops. Whether a student has stepped out of a session or is struggling to stay focused, the Engagement Team gently guides them back into learning spaces with empathy and encouragement.
Recognising that emotional wellbeing is key to academic success, the team offers one-on-one chats for students who may be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disengaged. These conversations are confidential, compassionate, and aimed at helping students feel safe and supported, with the goal to reintegrate them back into their session.
By building trust with students and collaborating closely with staff, the engagement team help create a culture where every learner feels valued and empowered to succeed.
Music plays an incredibly important part in the student’s experience with Inclusion College.
Research suggests that music might be as therapeutically beneficial as exercising when addressing common mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress, low mood and depression. Music’s impact on brain function, chemistry and emotional regulation mean that it can be used as a tool for improving wellbeing.
Music is the only activity present in daily life that engages numerous areas of the brain, simultaneously. This brain activity seen when we listen to music encapsulates: hearing, listening, movement, attention, language, emotion, memory, thinking as well as engaging all four lobes of the cerebral hemisphere and the brain stem.
We have been delivering Music sessions to our students for 10 years and in that time we have seen how it reduces anxieties in young people, works to raise mood and lift symptoms of depression.
Our young people are able to access our unique combination of studio technology to create music without needing them to learn an instrument immediately.
This means it can be used by anyone, regardless of their ability or special educational needs. Using recordings from artists they like, and adding beats and effects means it doesn’t take long for them to create something themselves, bringing a sense of achievement and pride, as well as building their confidence.
We have also had learners who begin to learn guitar, drums and other instruments, and record their singing because of their growing self belief and confidence.
Music has multiple other benefits: identifying and expressing emotions and feelings, cross curricular work with English and Life skills & wellbeing, and recording collaborative group projects.
The college's curriculum is highly personalised.
We support pupils to move forward from their starting point.
Art is a hugely important element of our activities and can really help our own sense of mental well-being, through creative projects and artistic elements.
Lots of our artistic work is also linked to our learning and appreciation of the awareness days and events which are so important to us at Inclusion. These often promote diversity, inclusion and equality as well as promoting positive mental health and well-being.
As with many of our activities at Inclusion College, art is used to help promote creative and emotional expression, support peer development and sense of community as well as building confidence.
Recent research exploring the benefits of pets and human-animal interaction for mental health has uncovered new benefits for stress, depression, post-traumatic stress and for managing mental health.
Animals can also act as social facilitators to connect individuals with autism to the people around them. Serum markers, such as oxytocin, cortisol and dopamine, associated with social bonding, are improved by positive interactions with therapy animals. The effects are particularly marked in children, as animals can elicit social interactions more successfully than counselling props such as toys. Animals provide a focal point of concentration for children when they are trying to cope with multiple stimuli, helping them to become calm and more relaxed.
Although not a timetabled session, we have a number of dogs that visit Inclusion College at various times.
We also have opportunities to visit equine therapy centres or the alpaca farm locally and can arrange these visits as required by students in conjunction with discussion with Key support staff and senior teachers.
As an organisation, one of our core principles is supporting mental health and well-being of our young people which we want to ensure is done in a consistent approach, whilst meeting the needs of the individual.
The Mental Health Strategic Working Group ensures we keep mental health at the forefront of our culture and specialism. It provides a structured space for teams to align on approach, share best practices, and maintain consistency in support across all sites. These meetings enhance communication, decision-making, and accountability while fostering collaboration, peer support, and a strong workplace culture. They also support professional development and continuous improvement, helping us adapt to evolving needs and maintain high-quality care.
Unit 5
Meridian Office Park
Osborn Way
Hook
RG27 9HY
Email: info@inclusioncollege.org.uk
Call: 01256 587 718
11th June
6:30 - 7:30pm
We are inviting our parents/carers to join us to find out more about our plans for September, when we will be moving to full time days.
Please call 01256 587 718 for further information.
