This page gives useful advice for parents and pupils on a range of issues related to school life.

Counselling Service

To book an appointment with a Counsellor, you can do so directly by clicking on the link below:

https://www.linkscounselling.com/get-counselling

What is Counselling?

Reach Mentoring

Reach Mentoring Consent Form

Returning to School after lockdown

Supporting your Child on their Return to School

The Back to School Guide for Young People

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Mental Health

Please find below some really useful links for tips on maintaining good mental health and local agencies that can help.

FREE E-learning Mental Health and Wellbeing Courses

CAMHS resources

Psychological First Aid Course (HSCNI)

NHS- Every Mind Matters

Young Minds

Aware NI and AMH both provide excellent workshops for pupils in school throughout the year as part of their Personal Development education.

Aware NI

Action Mental Health

Minding Your Head

Mind

Barnardos Emotional Well Being Service – See, Hear, Respond

Text a Nurse

A new Text-a-Nurse Service has been launched to provide young people with a secure and confidential text messaging service to a School Nurse for advice and support.
The service is aimed at 11-19 year olds and will be delivered by the Health Trust’s School Nursing Teams. 
This new scheme will allow young people to seek advice about sensitive health issues without a face-to-face appointment. School nurses will provide help on a range of issues including
• Emotional health and wellbeing
• Stress and anxiety
• Body image
• Alcohol and drugs
• Bullying
• General health issues and concerns
A qualified School Nurse will respond to the young people’s messages using the ChatHealth web platform which aims to transform the ways in which young people communicate with health professionals.

Nurses will be available to young people from 9-5 Monday-Friday, excluding Bank Holidays. The aim is for all messages to have received a response within 24 hours. The number for our area is

Southern Trust Text -A-Nurse: 07507 328 057

Physical Health

Sleep is an essential element of maintaining physical health and wellbeing, and many of us struggle to get enough of it. These information sheets may help you redress the balance:

• • • Sleep Factsheet
    • Sleep Matters
    • Sleep and Nutrition

Further advice on diet physical health and wellbeing may be found at the following links:

• • • Wellbeing & physical health
    • British Nutrition Foundation

Study Skills

Follow this link for some research based advice to get the best results from your revision!
Revision Guidance

The best way to remember everything you learn & the science behind it!

Exam Stress

Click here for advice if you are stressed out with exams or life in general!
Stressed out with exams or life in general

Call it- Feeling stressed

Anti Bullying Ambassadors

• • AntiBullying Ambassadors Assembly Powerpoint
  • AntiBullying Ambassadors Assembly Video
  • ABA Feel Good Friday Video
  • Useful sites with advice on how to help your child.
    • Bullying UK Advice
    • Relate
    • School Antibullying Policy
    • Northern Ireland AntiBullying Forum

Online Safety

In Banbridge Academy, we play a crucial role in raising awareness of the risks, highlighting the impact of behaviour when engaging with online technologies and educating children and young people about how to act appropriately and stay safe.

We also want to engage parents/guardians on these issues by making important online safety messages available through dedicated parent evenings and through our school website/social media where appropriate.

Here are some links and resources which you may find useful:

Tik Tok Guide for Parents and Carers

Online Safety Top Tips

Safeguarding Board NI

Safer Internet Centre

NSPCC Preventing Online Abuse

Think You Know

Report Harmful Content

The national reporting centre assisting everyone in reporting legal but harmful content online

• Report Harmful Content

Lacking motivation? Here’s some inspiration!

• • • Change the world by making your bed
    • JK Rowling – Don’t be afraid to fail!

Parenting teenagers.

Here are some ‘Top Tips’ from Parenting NI

• • • Family support NI provides a great list of the various support services available in each area in NI.
    • Parentline NI- Advice, support and guidance for parents- 0808 8020 400 or email parentline@ci-ni.org.uk
    • Parent talk the teenage years – Care for the family
    • This is a link to a range of podcasts created by Care for the Family especially for parents of teenagers, covering topics such as relationships, the digital age, self-esteem and much more.

If you think of any other useful tips for life as a teenager or for surviving parenting teenagers, please share them with us at lduke420@c2kni.net

Learning for life!