Our counsellor

Dear Year 7 parents and Carers,

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the families of our new, Year 7 students. I am pleased that you have joined our wonderful community here at Atam Academy. This is a time of transition and change, both for yourselves and for your children. The move from Primary to Secondary school can seem daunting and challenging – there are sometimes bumps along the way as the students adjust to the new building, new teachers, new students and new subjects, However, it is also a time of much anticipation and excitement; there are many opportunities that come with starting Secondary school, and I hope that you and your children are able to make the most of what is on offer during your time at Atam Academy.

I am writing to introduce myself to you; I am the school counsellor here at Atam Academy. The school takes the emotional health and well-being of their students and the wider community very seriously. The Counselling service is an important source of support for many students, who have at some point experienced difficulties during their time at the school. The service is confidential, open to all students and can be accessed several ways at any time throughout the school year. The main ways students can access the service are:

1) Self-referral

2) Referral by member of school staff

3) Referral by parents/carers

I will always encourage the students that self-refer to let their parents/carers know. But if they are not ready to do this I will respect their confidentiality. Those that do will be given a letter for their parents to sign. At times with the permission of the child my intentions are to keep in touch with parents/carers to find ways that we can support the child together, this could be either face-to-face meets or over the phone.

In addition to being the school counsellor I am also the PSHCE teacher, the students will get the chance to become familiar with me and I will be able to tell them a bit more about my role as the school counsellor.

I also run a parent/carer Consultation Service, for those parents/carers who have any concerns about their child. I would be very happy for you to contact me to talk through any concerns you might have; we can then arrange a time to have a meeting at school or simply continue to talk over the phone.

I am looking forward to the start of this year and to continuing my work supporting student’s emotional well-being within the school. I wish you all an amazing start to life here, and also look forward to meeting each and everyone one of you at some point through your journey at Atam Academy.

With best wishes,

 

Maurhys Phillips

School Counsellor

m.phillips@atamacademy.com

Tel: 020 8252 9831