Be Well Hubs

King’s Social Mobility & Widening Participation Department, in partnership with Citizens UK and the NHS, is helping primary and secondary schools in Southwark and Lambeth to establish Be Well Hubs. These hubs aim to destigmatise mental ill-health by providing a place where people can speak openly, access support and co-produce solutions with local mental health trusts to improve services.

We spoke to Sarah Cowdrey, Therapy Team Manager at Newlands Academy in Southwark, about the school becoming a Be Well Hub and supporting good mental health and wellbeing in their community.

What are the main things that impact students' mental health at Newlands Academy?

Many students at the school experienced distress and social anxiety off the back of the pandemic, which led to an increase in school refusal (when anxiety builds up to the point that a young person cannot go to school), peer pressure, lack of trust in school staff and self-esteem issues. Missing out on a huge chunk of education has had a huge impact on the way they feel about themselves.

How will the Be Well Hub improve the support you provide?

We hope to provide wrap-around service for the whole school community, taking a holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing which is less pathologising and stigmatising. Our goal is to provide a support avenue that encourages both students, school staff and their families to reach out, ask for help and access it. We would also like to create community networks in and around the school through the Be Well Hub and use them to create systemic change.

What is your vision for the Be Well Hub at Newlands Academy?

There will be three branches to our Be Well Hub: one for students, one for staff and one for parents/carers. By providing a space for people to seek help and find connection, we aim to remodel the school’s identity in the local community. Sometimes our students feel ashamed that they are at a special provision which impacts how they feel about school. We want to focus on building connections and fostering new relationships with local schools to shift the connotations of Newlands Academy, so students feel proud of where they are.

How can we work together to achieve this?

We hope to stay connected to and partner with local charities who can promote the Be Well Hub through posters and flyers so we have a more visual presence in the community. The school also looks forward to working closely with Citizens UK and King’s College London to explore further opportunities.