Mental Health, Well-being & Counselling

At The Bridge Academy we believe that every student should be cared for, both physically and mentally.

At The Bridge Academy we believe that every student should be cared for, both physically and mentally. With the current difficult climate we face, it is more important than ever to pay closer attention to our mental well-being and each other’s.

At The Bridge Academy, we offer a range of different interventions to support our young people’s well-being.

Please contact the Academy if you are worried about your child and would like to speak to a member of the Safeguarding or Pastoral team on 0207 749 5240.

WAMHS Coffee Mornings

WAMHS (Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools Project) Coffee Mornings are a space where parents can get together and discuss concerns and share ideas of how to support our students.

Ola, our WAMHS clinician, is on hand to answer questions and give specialist insight. Alongside, Sarah Fowler, our Place 2 Be counsellor, who works closely with the KS3 team to support students in Year 7-9. There will also be a member of the Wellbeing team from Bridge.

We welcome any feedback of how to improve our Wellbeing offer and please email aaiba@tbah.uk if you have any suggestions for topics you would like covered.  It will be great to see you there. 

Parents can be added to the email group by entering their email on this form: Bridge Coffee Morning  – Fill in form 

Parents, join us for our first WAMHS Coffee Morning on Wednesday 20 October to talk about How to access wellbeing and mental health support. 

The schedule for the following meetings is as follows:

• 20th October 2026
• 15th December 2026
• 9th February 2027
• 23rd March 2027
• 25th May 2027
• 6th July 2027 

PHSE 

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) equips students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive at school and beyond. At Bridge Academy, students learn how to build healthy relationships, look after their wellbeing, make informed decisions and contribute positively to their communities. Our curriculum combines practical learning about safety, health, money and careers with opportunities to develop communication, empathy and independent judgement.

Our curriculum and rationale 

Our spiral curriculum builds understanding progressively from Year 7 to Year 11. Students return to key themes, deepen their knowledge and apply it to increasingly complex situations as they mature. Early learning about friendship, boundaries and trusted adults provides the foundations for later study of intimate relationships, consent and accessing support. Similarly, learning about needs, wants and saving develops into understanding earnings, borrowing and financial independence. 

Teaching is age-appropriate, inclusive and responsive to students’ needs. Clear explanations, carefully chosen scenarios and structured discussion encourage students to ask questions, evaluate information and consider different perspectives without being expected to share personal experiences. We balance recognising risks with exploring positive choices, healthy relationships and opportunities for the future. 

The programme incorporates statutory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, alongside wider learning about careers, financial capability and participation in society. These areas connect knowledge about rights, responsibilities and support services to situations students may encounter as their independence grows. 

PSHE also supports students’ readiness to learn through emotional literacy, organisation and strategies for managing pressure. Work experience, encounters with external organisations and post-16 visits help students connect classroom learning to life beyond school. Our aim is for every student to leave Bridge informed, confident and prepared to pursue their ambitions, maintain their wellbeing and build respectful relationships.

Sex Education and Statutory Content 

We work in partnership with parents and carers to provide clear, age-appropriate learning about relationships, health and growing up. We understand that parents may wish to withdraw students from sex education: the below diagram explains the overlapping nature of sex education (which students may lawfully be withdrawn from) and statutory relationship and health education (which students may not be withdrawn from).  

Additionally, we can share that sex education lessons are taught within the following points in the curriculum only: 

• Year 9 HT3  
• Year 10 HT3 
• Year 11 HT2 

If you have any questions or concerns, would like to see teaching materials or are considering withdrawal, please contact Ms Thomas, PSHE Lead, at hthomas@tbah.uk, who will be happy to discuss further.