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Many young people are anxious about exams and the future. Safeguarding continues to concern us all and this has been added to as young people readjust to the effects of the pandemic .

Young people and adults can access support even when schools are closed. This service is available to anyone, including young people, 24 hours per day, every day of the year.

If parents are concerned about a crisis mental health situation, they can take their child to A & E, or can speak to their local GP for advice in the first instance.

We are aware that some young people who are distressed are awaiting an appointment from CAMHS. If a young person's mental health worsens whilst on the CAMHS waiting list parents should telephone their local CAMHS and speak to them about this.

Familyworks will also post additional mental health information, advice and support on their website, on Facebook and Instagram in December and January.

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The Safer Internet Centre produces a range of resources for young people, their parents / carers and schools to help navigate the complexity of the online environment.

This year's Safer Internet Day centres on 'Too Good to be True?' with a focus on protecting yourself and others from scams online.

Further information on this topic and other areas around keeping your child safe in the online space can be found here.

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Co-funded by the European Commission and brought to you by Childnet International, the South West Grid for Learning and the Internet Watch Foundation.

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Aware NI have some helpful resources to support young people and their families when it comes to challenges with mental health.

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The CCEA Wellbeing Hub has a range of resources which you may find useful.

College staff may use elements of these resources in their curriculum teaching and pastoral support.

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Many children and teenagers with Autism face additional struggles with transition to post-primary and management of anxiety. The Centre for Autism, Middletown, offers training and resources to support young people through this difficult stage in their development.

Resources to support families to help their children with autism can be accessed here.

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The home-school partnership is vitally important. You know your child best, so we welcome contact from home to let us know if there is something that can support your child to be happier in school.

You can email the College: info@nendrumcollege.comber.ni.sch.uk or call the College office on 028 9187 2361 to request a call or meeting.

We encourage parents and guardians to take advantage of opportunities to meet with teachers to discuss progress.

Parent consultations are held annually for Years 9 & 10. The Year 10 parent consultation will also include a Subject Options event to support your child with their GCSE options.

In Years 8, 11 & 12 we have one general parent consultation in term 2.

Year 8 has an additional consultation with Form Teachers in September / October to discuss how your child has settled at the College.

Years 11 & 12 have a Learning Guidance Forum, which is an opportunity for the child and parent / guardian to discuss progress towards targets with Senior Pastoral staff. These consultations usually take place in December & January.

If you are unable to attend a parent consultation, you can still ask to speak with your child's teachers at a different time.

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Pupils at the College will learn about Internet Safety through lessons, and also through workshops with external providers.

Mobile phones should only be used in school under the direct supervision of a teacher for educational reasons, and our school computer filters will keep pupils safe.

Outside of school, it is important that parents and carers reinforce the importance of using the internet, apps, games and social media platforms appropriately and safely. It is also advisable that parents and carers monitor their child's online use to keep them safe and provide further support. Your child's Form Teacher or Head of Year can support you if you have concerns in this area.

The UK safer Internet Centre provides information for parents and carers on how to manage the ever changing online workld to help keep children and young people safe.

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Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre

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Tips, advice, guides and resources to help keep your child safe online

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CCEA is the main exam board used by schools in Northern Ireland. Their website includes subject support, but frequently also pastoral and wellbeing support.

You can access their support page here.

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Nendrum College aims:
“To provide a disciplined yet caring and supportive environment in which each pupil is encouraged to attain his/her true potential both academically and socially.”

In order to achieve this prime aim we seek: “To regard each pupil as an individual with different needs and expectations who, through guidance, may develop a sense of personal worth and respect for others.”

To this end the College will, through its curriculum and guidance activities, help pupils to:

develop a knowledge and understanding of themselves and others as individuals, strengths and weaknesses, abilities, skills, personal qualities, attitudes and values, needs;

learn how to acquire information in order to make decisions which may concern their personal life, their school work or their future careers;

take charge of the conduct and outcome of their own lives;

come to terms with their responsibilities to their peers, their parents and the wider community in which they live;

prepare themselves for the transition to adulthood and a working life.

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Year groups in Nendrum are organised into:

Junior School (Years 8-10)

Senior School (Years 11-12)

This structure helps to meet the differing needs of pupils at the different stages of their educational, social and emotional journeys.

Mr McClure is the Senior Techer in charge of Positive Behaviour for Learning. He leads the team of five Year Heads, who each lead their team of Form Teachers.

Mr McClure closely monitors overall attendance, academic performance, behaviour for learning and pastoral concerns.

The Year Heads manage their team of Form Teachers to ensure all pupils attend as often as possible and on time, are organised, attentive and happy in the College.

The Form Teachers are the daily point of contact for all Form Classes. A Form Teacher's role is to support the pupils in their class to be the best they can be in all aspects of College life and beyond.

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Supporting positive mental health and improved wellbeing is key to helping our pupils excel in their academic, social and emotional development.

All pupils in the College study a discrete Learning for Life and Work curriculum which has a key focus on Personal Develoment and considers age and stage appropriate learning.

The LLW Department also organises a range of workshops throughout the year to support young people to explore different perspectives on the challenges they may face.

The Home Economics Department is one of the most popular and successful, with cookery forming a key component of studies, right from Year 8! At Nendrum, we firmly believe that healthy bodies support healthy minds, so leading a healthy lifestyle through knowledge and understanding of a healthy diet is paramount.

The Physical Education Department is proud of its extensive curricular offer. All pupils have dedicated PE time each week, with activities including swimming, football and rugby, hockey and netball, gymnastics and trampolining, orienteering and athletics. The College is proud to work with many partners to host specialist coaches as part of the PE curriculum.

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If you're a parent, carer or teacher, of a post primary aged young person in Northern Ireland, watch this video.

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If you're a parent, carer or teacher of a post primary aged young person in Northern Ireland watch this video.

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Independent Counselling Service for Schools

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Independent Counselling Service for Schools

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As part of the Education Authority's HOPE our FamilyWorks school counsellor visits on a weekly basis during term time.

Appointments are normally in-person, and can either be a short check-in or a longer session.

We believe that all children have a right to a voice about their wellbeing, and the right to be heard. Pupils can self-refer to this service if they feel they need some extra support, or families can support their child with a referral by liaising with the Form Teacher. Pupils - or their parents / guardians - can also make a referral through an online system.

While always aiming to support the young person seeking counselling, the Counsellor is always clear that information shared which raises a safeguarding concern must be reported to the Designated Teacher for Child Protection in the College.

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Pupils' self-esteem can often be very closely linked to how they regard themselves as learners and how successul they perceive themselves to be with their learning.

The Form Teacher plays a pivotal role in getting to know their pupils and being there to support them when they face challenges.

We complete surveys during the year which assess a young person's attitude to school, and this can help us to identify those pupils who may need some extra support.

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Nendrum College believes that all members of the College Community have the right to be free from physical or emotional abuse.

We recognise that in growing up and in maturing, some young people encounter relationship difficulties with others.  A judgement has to be made regarding an acceptable level of interpersonal disharmony and what could be deemed beyond this.  Where an infringement into the well-being of a member of the College community is considered to be bullying, it will be dealt with according to the College Policy on Anti Bullying.

Measures can only be taken if those available to provide help are made aware of the situation. We encourage our pupils to talk with staff members about concerns, and we welcome home communication when difficulties arise.

Pupils are encouraged - through Assemblies, and the LLW programme - to show respect for others and report any infringement of acceptable conduct towards others.

Pupils are all made aware at the beginning of each school year and reminded throughout the year, of the various people available to them if they require help.  These include Form Teachers, Year Heads, Heads of Junior and Senior School and Counsellors.

Friends/Classmates are encouraged to report to staff if they are aware of any pupil being unduly upset as a result of the inappropriate behaviour of another or others.

When/If such a situation arises, it will be dealt with through the discipline/counselling combination approach, according to the severity of the situation.  Pupils may be suspended from the College and parents involved if one pupil physically assaults another in a vicious, non-accidental way.

All personnel who come in contact with pupils during the College day are vetted according to EA requirements. Complaints about staff and volunteers should be taken to the Principal and will be dealt with according to the guidelines set out in Pastoral Care In Schools, Child Protection, issued in 1999 by the Department of Education.

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The Designated Teacher for reporting suspected cases of child abuse to is Miss V Thompson (Vice Principal).

The Deputy Designated Teachers are Mr C Maginnis and Mr S Cowden.

Staff are informed of this annually and provided with guidelines for identifying suspected cases of abuse. All teaching staff have received copies of Pastoral Care in Schools, Child Protection (DENI 1999), and there is annual training associated with Child Protection.

Parents are provided biannually with a summary of the College Pupil Protection Policy.

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Parenting NI raises awareness of the challenges of parenting, and aims to support parents with these challenges.

Their Top Tips page provides advice for parents for dealing with common struggles.

Longer articles relating to key issues are also availble. These provide information, advice and guidance on how to approach and manage some of the difficulties that can arise for young people.

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Parenting NI is a leading organisation for parent support in Northern Ireland. Offering a freephone helpline service, counselling and parenting programmes.

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Prefer to listen rather than read? Spend a lot of time commuting? The Parenting NI Podcast may be for you!

"Leading parenting support charity based in Northern Ireland discuss the topics that parents want to know more about. Exploring the realities of modern parenting, providing information and tips to help support parents with the issues that matter to them."

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This month, we chatted to Laura Perry & Aidan Burns from PlayBoard NI about the Importance of Play! Play is so important for children's development for so many reasons. Find out all of the facts about play on this episode!

PlayBoard NI > https://www.playboard.org/

Summer of Play > https://www.summerofplay.co.uk/

Parenting NI > https://www.parentingni.org/

In this episode, Catherine chats to Aileen McGloin, Director of Marketing and Communications at ‎safefood & Joana da Silva, Expert in Human Health and Nutrition at safe food. The trio discuss the latest safefood 'START' campaign which aims to equip parents with the tools to adopt better healthy eating habits for their family & cut down on treats!

Find out more about the campaign & find healthy recipes, tips & tricks for parents here! > https://www.safefood.net/start

In this episode, Catherine is joined by Chris Eisenstadt from BookTrust NI to discuss reading! The pair chat about the benefits of reading with your child & have lots of helpful tips for parents to help foster a genuine enjoyment of reading in their children. There are so many simple ways to help encourage your child to get into reading - listen now for some tips!

Catherine catches up with the fabulous Shirley Millar, Education Manager for Parenting NI. The pair discuss the impact the pandemic is having on parental mental health. They share lots of strategies & tips for parents to practice to improve their mental health & discuss how doing this can positively impact the children in your life.

You can check out our Facebook page for helpful tips, support & much more as the pandemic continues and brings with it an array of problems for parents to manage.

For more support contact Parenting NI for free on 0808 8010 722 or visit www.parentingni.org.

Our new host Catherine catches up with Parenting NI Parental Participation Officer, Elaine & Business Development Officer, Rosie. In this episode, they discuss their experiences of Parenting in the Pandemic & reflect on the challenges this situation has brought for parents in 2020.

You can check out our Facebook page for helpful tips, support & lots of Christmas related content now we're into December! For more support contact Parenting NI for free on 0808 8010 722 or visit www.parentingni.org.

Emma catches up with Parenting NI Education and Participation Officer, Lauren. In this episode, the girls consider whether the slow paced lifestyle of lockdown is actually having a positive impact on us, discuss self-care, why it's important and how we can make ourselves a priority when we feel overwhelmed.

You can also check out our Facebook page for daily tips on self-care. For more support contact Parenting NI for free on 0808 8010 722 or visit www.parentingni.org.

We're back! We had a brief break last month but we're glad to be chatting with you again.

For Father's Day 2020 - Emma chats with Cahir Murray, Coordinator of the Dads Project, about the impact Covid-19 has had on fathers and particularly on separated dads who may be struggling to see their children. Dads from the project's Steering Group also share their messages of hope for Father's Day.

Support for dads is available for free - call 0808 8010 722 or visit https://www.parentingni.org/parents/dads-project/

Over a month into lockdown in the UK due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Emma chats to Dr John Coleman about why we need to cut teenagers some slack at this time. Dr Coleman gives insights into teenage brain development and offers some advice on how we can support our young people at this time both in terms of emotional wellbeing and when it comes to keeping them safe online.

Parenting NI are continuing to offer support to parents in the current circumstances. You can visit our website to take a look at resources we have shared so far. If you would like to support Parenting NI at this difficult time we would really appreciate it, you can make a donation via our Localgiving page.

We are living in a world were children and young people have more information about what's going on in the world than ever before. With fears over climate change, terror attacks and the current pandemic of Coronavirus, the constant stream of news we now have access to can cause anxiety for both children and adults. In this episode we discuss some tips for easing anxiety and building resilience in our children and young people.

Some links you might want to also check out on Fake News and talking to your children about Coronavirus. You can follow Parenting NI on social media for the latest news and information to support parents and families during the current COVID-19 outbreak - find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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This month, we chatted to Laura Perry & Aidan Burns from PlayBoard NI about the Importance of Play! Play is so important for children's development for so many reasons. Find out all of the facts about play on this episode!

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At Nendrum, we recognise that each pupil and their family may have a different experience of transition to post-primary. Some pupils feel more excited about the move to Big School, whereas others feel more apprehensive.

We aim to make sure that all pupils feel safe, happy and a part of the Nendrum family.

Mrs Blake is the Head of Year 8, and she leads the team of Form Teachers who are experienced at working with Year 8 pupils and supporting them and their famlies through this transition.

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Pupils who have received a place in the College will have an opportunity to visit the College and take part in an Introduction Afternoon with the Year 8 Pastoral Team. Parents / Guardians are invited to a presentation on the Transition process and general information.

Pupils will then be invited to two days of team building activities in the College in August. These are hosted by staff from The Net alongside our Learning Support Team. Activities take place in the College, allowing pupils to become more familiar with their surroundings, their peers and many of the support staff they will encounter.

Pupils will then begin their official Nendrum journey with two half-days. On these days, the Year 8 pupils will be the only pupils in the College. This allows them to get used to the building before other pupils arrive.

On day 1, pupils will remain with their Form Teacher, who will talk about the different aspects of College life that pupils will be about to experience. Pupils will get to know their classmates, will have talks from different teachers, and will get prepared to follow their new timetables the next day.

On day 2, pupils will follow their timetable, moving around the College to their different subjects and classrooms. This small taster will support the pupils for when the whole school returns.

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To assist pupils in settling into College life, there are other supports in place:

Dedicated Year 8 social areas (inside and out)

Dedicated Year 8 toilets

Earlier access to canteen at lunchtime

Team-building trip to Ganaway

Parent consultation with Form Teacher at the end of October

Parent consultation with subject teachers in Term 2

Year 12 Class Mentors

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There is a very close relationship with The NET Youth Project and Nendrum College.

Staff from The NET provide Mentoring and Counselling support in school and extra-curricular clubs in the College such as Scripture Union (SU) and Dance. The NET facilitate reward days and Induction days both on-site at the College and in their nearby premises.

In addition, The NET youth workers may dovetail family support with in-school support where appropriate.

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Made for More is an organisation that aims to work with young people through schools and youth organisations to address some of the key challenges being faced: self-esteem, mental health and substance dependency.

They provide resources to support young people who feel anxious, and signpost different organisations who may be able to help.