Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being
"It's not what happens to us in life but how we react to it that makes us who we are".
At Uckfield College, we believe that the health and wellbeing of the student is paramount to their achievement, that looking after the wellbeing of the student is key to their success and ability to move forward into their adult lives with the greatest range of life opportunities available to them. We understand that being an adolescent in the modern world is not always easy and sometimes a little extra help and support is needed.
There are many different mediums of support available to students at the College. These come in the form of both our pastoral support teams which are described in more detail here and a range of recommended resources which students can access. These resources can be accessed here, via the tabs, or there are many texts available in the reading room as well as the Sixth Form library in the SFSA. We encourage our students to ask for help when they need it and to not be afraid to let their pastoral teams know if they are worried about a friend. An ideal way to do this is by emailing help@uckfield.college which is checked daily.
We also have a range of people available to support students within college. Their roles include:
The Form Mentor
- The mentors are the people the students have most regular contact with and will deal with any day to day issues that might arise.
- Their role is to support students to maintain their standards of work, behaviour, punctuality, uniform, personal organisation, as well as helping with their independent study habits, homework and meeting deadlines
- They also deliver a range of Personal Development education to encourage personal growth.
Pastoral Leaders (PALs)
- The PALs are available at break and lunchtime and after college to talk to students about any worries or personal issues they might be having; these can be issues involving learning as well as family and relationship worries.
- Their role is to support students’ welfare, well-being and self-esteem so they can achieve their potential - to give intensive mentoring, anger management and mentoring for students.
Director of Year
- Their role is to identify issues that might impact the year group, to be able to provide relevant PDT to support students, and to create an in-year ethos and identity.
Community School Nurse from East Sussex School Health Service
- Students can be referred to the Community School Nurse by the PALs or our Lead First Aider.
- They deal with both physical as well as emotional issues that the student might have.
- ChatHealth is a text-only service for 11-19s which is monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Text: 07507 332473
College Counsellors
- The counsellors work in college every week and students can be referred to them via the PALs and the Directors of Year.
Personal Development and Life Learning
- At Uckfield College we have a clear program of Personal and Social development. This addresses many issues that impact our students, this includes issues of wellbeing and mental health. We deliver these via Life Learning lessons as well as PDT sessions with the form tutors/mentors and assemblies.
Parents/Carers
- We ask you to work with us to support your child. Please let us know of any issues that might be impacting them at college. The following links are here to provide you with some support on a range of issues that can impact young people. These are by no means exhaustive; if you feel that there is an area we have missed then please let us know and we will endeavour to update our site.
Students can access the team of people above and can also find information and advice on a variety of issues via the links below (listed alphabetically).
Addiction:
Anger:
Anxiety:
Bullying:
If you are experiencing online bullying, or something else online has worried you, please speak to an adult you trust or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at
Caring for Someone:
Depression:
Drinking and Drugs:
Eating Disorders:
Friends and Relationships:
General Wellbeing and Advice:
ChatHealth - Advice for Teens in East Sussex
Text: 07507 332 473
This service is provided by the East Sussex School Health Service for young people aged 11-19. You will get a reply within 24 hours from an NHS School Nurse between 8.30am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).
Good Diet and Nutrition:
Health, Resilience and Wellbeing:
How you Look:
Mental Health:
Mindfulness:
Online Safety:
Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?
CEOP helps any child or young person under the age of 18 who is being pressured, forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity of any kind. This can be something that has taken place either online or in ‘the real world’, or both. The CEOP Safety Centre has clear information and advice on what can be reported to CEOP, the reporting process and what will happen if you do decide to make a report. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the Click CEOP button.
If you are experiencing online bullying or something else online has worried you please speak to an adult you trust, or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at
Puberty:
Radicalisation:
Self Harm:
Self Image:
Sexuality:
Suicidal Thoughts:
