A Wholeschool Approach
‘Learning from Each Other’ – since 1994
A significant element of activism is of course looking after each other. From the beginning, we planned our structures so that the form class and the relationship with the form teacher would be core.
We planned not to build hierarchies of heads of year, heads of section etc. so that when a student was dealing with a serious situation, whether pastoral or disciplinary, the person who knew them best would be the person they would be talking to.
In the early days, staff remained in their year group while students moved up through the system. The plan was that students should work with women and men, staff from Protestant, Catholic backgrounds and those from Other faiths and none. However, as the school grew, and students were working with a larger number of staff throughout their school week, we changed the plan and form teachers thereafter moved with their form class, sustaining and building the relationship over years.
Our support staff played a particularly strong pastoral role, nominally working with one or two individual students in a class, but in practice building up an enduring relationship with every student in the class.
Kevin always saw his role as principal as having a strong pastoral element, and he ensured that he got to know every student by continuing to teach throughout his time as principal. Initially he taught Spanish, but moved to teach RE so that he would be teaching every student across a year group.
When Learning for Life and Work was introduced, that’s where he moved next. When we introduced GCSE Understanding Business Enterprise with Languages and Tourism, he was delighted to return to teaching Spanish. He invested in his assemblies, using them to address integration issues himself and pastoral issues, for example introducing Colleen from Aware Defeat Depression. Kevin’s strong relationship with students meant that calling to his office, or being sent to his office, was always a constructive experience.
Right back to the founding year group, students wanted to be involved in supporting each other. Friend of Shimna Freda Keys came in to offer counselling training to students who wanted to set up a break and lunchtime drop-in for anyone who simply wanted someone to talk to. Ellen was a qualified and experienced counsellor, and students knew to refer anyone needing further help to her.
Then came a phonecall from Turkey. Clare McFadden, then living in Turkey, planned to move to Ireland and was seeking a job teaching science. Science teachers were hard to come by, and a part time post was available which Clare was successfully appointed to. Clare was happy with part time because her long term aim was to train as a psychotherapist.
Clare made an outstanding contribution to Shimna. Once qualified she was able to offer counselling to students and staff. She was also pro-active in developing our Personal Development curriculum as part of Learning for Life and Work. So successful was the programme she developed that CCEA employed her to roll out the resources she created to every school in Northern Ireland. Clare’s day to day work with students in class meant that going to her for counselling was quite natural and a comfortable experience.
Of course different students value different styles of counselling, and we were grateful for the support of a music therapist one year, and when Jaime Creeth came from California to spend a year in Ireland, we benefited from her services as an art therapist. Jaime offered counselling within school and also art therapy sessions up at Greenhill after school. Her other major contribution was founding the Gay Straight Alliance, which came to play such an important role in the school.
Eventually, the Department of Education introduced a plan to fund a certain number of hours of counselling for every school. We were very fortunate that Vicki Sherlock arrived in Shimna as our counsellor. She offered CBT, a very different style of counselling from that offered by Clare, and our students benefited from the different approaches. Clare was eventually poached by Queen’s University, and we invested in funding additional hours from Vicki.
An offer came in from Action Cancer. Given that in any school a large number of students and staff will be affected by cancer themselves or within their family, Action Cancer developed a Listening Ear training programme to empower students to do just that, offer to listen, but with appropriate knowledge and support skills.
Áine Harrison was already a safeguarding trainer, and the ideal person to undertake the training and then to train our students. Generations benefited. Eventually, Áine used her skills and experience to re-write the programme with a broader remit, so that students were trained to support each other across a wider range of circumstances. Áine also provided safeguarding training to staff, students and governors.
As concerns grew about the level of self-harm and suicide across our community, a SafeTalk first aid mental health course was offered to all staff, with a great take up across teaching, support, cleaning and canteen staff. This was most important, as cleaning and canteen staff were often the first to spot a student in distress or need. A number of staff, Danella Goodman, Áine Harrison, Eileen Tate and Aidan McIlmurray also took additional ASSIST training.
With a range of supports in place, coordination was important in order to ensure that a student in need would find the right person to talk to. That coordination was provided by Danella. She was well trained and experienced in providing both physical and mental health first aid and suicide prevention techniques, and she was the first port of call for a student in distress. She managed Vicki’s referrals for counselling, supported the Listening Ear team and ensured that staff training across all kinds of support was kept up to date. Danella managed self-referral postboxes throughout the school, where students could post a note asking to speak to the counsellor, or talk to a Listening Ear. Danella also ensured that every student received a ‘Who Can I Turn To’ leaflet. This leaflet listed every individual staff member with a specific caring role, but also emphasised to students that every staff member was there to listen and to support, and that a student in distress should speak to the person they felt most comfortable approaching.
Shirley McMillan, in her role as Alternative Chaplain, also played an important part. Shirley initiated the Umbrella group, a support group for students of all faiths and none. They met regularly, supported each other, debated issues and blogged their ideas. After Jaime Creeth left, Shirley supported the GSA, working closely with the Amnesty student group. Shirley had counselling qualifications herself, and liaised closely with external agencies which could offer guidance on all aspects of relationship and sexuality.
Shirley gave inclusive sexual health talks as part of the sixth form induction programme each year, signposting students to sources of support beyond school. Shirley’s work was instrumental in an invitation to Shimna students to contribute to an Integrated Education Fund conference on young people and mental health.
Founder governor Edna McNeilly introduced Scripture Union to Shimna, which became an essential support group for students of all Christian backgrounds, and others interested in coming along. Edna was a great traveller, but between her trips abroad, she attended faithfully for breaktime SU meetings, always well supplied with fig rolls. When Edna had to retire from her role, Amy Bell and Avril McConnell ensured that Scripture Union would continue its valuable support role in Shimna.
Of course support for staff was essential too. We were very fortunate that Clare was available to staff for counselling support, and the school maintained a subscription to INSPIRE, an external counselling agency for all staff to access. A Staff Welfare Policy was regularly updated, outlining the various supports available to staff in managing their working and personal life.
A coherent approach to looking after each other inspired many of our students to bring that approach into their working lives, whether or not they chose a career in a caring profession. It was wonderful to see a poster advocating for mental health support locally, and offering information on sources of support, and to recognise the OldScholar behind the mask.
And we were proud to see Ryan, a graduate of Áine’s Listening Ear programme, take a particularly challenging issue of caring into his film making project work for Moving Image Arts:
