Five Preston Primary Schools to benefit from appointment of Transition Officer

Preston North End Community and Education Trust [PNECET] has appointed transformation officer Mary Hewitt to aid St Teresa’s Catholic, St Joseph’s Catholic, Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior, Preston Grange and Brookfield Community Primary School.

She will form part of the Health and Well-being team, one of three strands of work delivered by the Trust – along with Community Engagement and Education.

Headstart is a new initiative being piloted across Lancashire and South Cumbria to support the mental health of Year 6 children that are transitioning into secondary school, which is being delivered alongside the EFL Trust and three other club community organisations aiming to support to children’s mental health through a new two-year project.

As part of the new mental health programme, pupils will take part in group sessions, which will cover the most relevant topics that can affect children between the ages of 11 and 12, including relationships, body image, stress and more.

Pupils will be given new strategies and methods for managing their mental health through the programme, which will be delivered within school time and tailored to fit around the learning of identified children in need.

Mary Hewitt said: “I’m excited to be taking on the role of Mental Health Transformation Officer to support identified children in Preston and the surrounding areas who are making the transition from primary school to secondary school.

“We hope to help children enjoy as smooth a transition as possible between education settings at a key stage of their personal development and therefore support them to manage their mental health in a positive way.”

PNECET, Fleetwood Town Community Trust, Morecambe Community Sports Trust and Acccrington Stanley Community Trust are delivering the programme alongside the EFL Trust after they were awarded a grant of £333,709 from NHS Charities Together.

Following a pilot this year, the programme will be rolled out to the other EFL Community Club Organisations also located within the Lancashire and South Cumbria region.

The programme aims to reduce the strain on the NHS by targeting children currently accessing or at risk of needing to access children’s mental health services.