Mental health problems affect 1 in 6 children in the UK
In a time where mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent, early intervention is paramount. A contented, mentally resilient child is better poised to reach their academic potential. We are dedicated to dismantling barriers to learning and aiding students in bolstering their confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. Our support extends to those grappling with challenging behaviour, emerging mental health issues, or difficulties in mainstream settings.
Our outreach service is readily available to schools and young people throughout Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton. For those encountering obstacles in accessing school (EBSA) or residing outside this area, our targeted mentoring and interventions are accessible virtually.
Apply to joinOur school outreach support
Services available
Our school-based services, provided on a case-by-case basis or as part of our partner school offer, include:
One-to-One Interventions –Tailored to each student’s unique circumstances, these interventions nurture emotional resilience and develop skills to manage life challenges.
Dynamic Group Workshops -Our group workshops are crafted to cultivate essential social skills, develop confidence, and foster positive behaviour change within a group environment.
Guided child-centred intervention
We follow a child-led approach that empowers students to participate actively in their intervention. Sessions include a weekly check-in where students can discuss their current difficulties and concerns. Together, we work towards SMART targets that address the specific struggles identified in referrals and pre- and post-assessments.
This approach enables us to provide personalised support that caters to each student’s unique needs. It also helps us measure progress objectively and track positive changes over time.
Specialised school support
Our specialised support is ideal for students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and Special Educational Needs (SEN), including ASD and ADHD.
While our sessions are confidential, we collaborate closely with a designated contact within the school to ensure that any strategies discussed can be seamlessly integrated into support plans, providing a cohesive and holistic support system for the students we help.
Lasting Positive Change
We recommend that schools refer students to Bright Paths when emerging mental health concerns or other changes in behaviour are first identified. Not only does investing in early support drastically help young people and families, but it also prevents situations from escalating and requiring further costly clinical interventions.
Common areas we help with:
- Anxiety / low mood
- Healthy Relationships
- Emotional regulation/anger management
- Challenging behaviour
- Coping Skills
- Friendship issues
- Resilience /Self-esteem
- SEN support
- Social and communication skills
- KS2 to KS3 transition
- Staying safe and avoiding hazardous behaviour
Types of services
Our one-to-one interventions are meticulously tailored to the unique needs of each referred child, ensuring a highly personalised approach. Through thorough examination of referral information and pre-assessments, we collaboratively establish SMART targets with the student, guiding the intervention process effectively. This child-centred methodology enables us to not only meet the individual needs of each student but also address concerns from schools and parents, fostering enduring positive change.
- SEMH Support: In our SEMH Support program, students find a safe haven to express themselves, be listened to, and develop coping strategies for their current challenges. Whether that involves managing anxiety, confronting negative thoughts, or navigating friendship issues, our program provides a nurturing environment for growth and development.
- Challenging Behaviour Support: Our Challenging Behaviour Support program offers weekly mentoring alongside the expertise of behaviour consultants who provide classroom observations and on-demand assistance. They actively engage in TAFF and professional meetings, offering invaluable guidance on implementing strategies within student passports and pastoral support plans.
SEMH and Behavioural support options typically entail one school lesson per week over 6-12 weeks, ensuring consistent support and tangible progress towards brighter futures.
Our group workshops and interventions are meticulously crafted from thought-provoking and engaging activities tailored to cater to the diverse needs of the pupils in attendance. Through differentiation, we ensure that every student benefits from sessions, regardless of their individual challenges.
Working in small groups effectively delivers quality support to a larger number of students within a limited budget.
Our most sought-after group interventions encompass topics such as understanding and managing big feelings, with a key emphasis on emotional regulation or anxiety. Additionally, we offer workshops focused on building confidence and self-esteem, managing friendships, and fostering healthy relationships. Alternatively, you can schedule a consultation to discuss your group’s needs, allowing us to customise a bespoke package tailored to your requirements.
Stay connected with us through our news page and social media channels, as we regularly announce fully funded group projects. Don’t miss out on these opportunities for impactful interventions and meaningful support within your school community.
Our Partner School service provides schools with tailored, long-term support, offering the flexibility of a dedicated consultant available in school for 3+ hours per week at a discounted rate. With a dedicated behaviour consultant, we ensure availability for meetings and adaptability with session times and durations, ensuring our support aligns seamlessly with your school’s unique needs. This service is meticulously customised to meet specific school requirements and invoiced on a termly basis.
Moreover, partner schools can include a lunchtime wellbeing hub, providing students with convenient, on-demand access to support, thereby enriching their emotional well-being.
Integrating drop-in sessions into your school’s emotional well-being approach enables students to address minor, immediate concerns within a safe, controlled environment. This approach is particularly advantageous for students who may feel uneasy discussing issues with teaching staff.
Through our experience, we’ve observed that these sessions serve as a pivotal platform for safeguarding children who may otherwise be hesitant to seek help, ensuring they receive the support they need.
Our Staff and Parent training sessions are designed to educate and empower educators and caregivers, fostering a unified approach to supporting student welfare.
At Bright Paths, we understand the importance of addressing a wide range of themes to ensure a comprehensive understanding of student well-being. From identifying and supporting anxious students to understanding neurodiversity, including ASD/ADHD, our training workshops can cover essential topics to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective support.
Our training goes beyond theory, providing practical guidance on implementing strategies such as reasonable adjustments and creating Pastoral Support Plans (PSPs). We also delve into often overlooked areas, such as understanding how neurodiverse girls may present differently and why they may go undiagnosed and unsupported.
Join us on the journey to brighter paths for our students, where education and empowerment pave the way to a more supportive and inclusive learning environment. Let us know your needs, and we will create a training package tailored to your school.
What our services have accomplished so far
We focus on delivering support with concrete results that benefit both schools and students. Our interventions have been highly effective for students who require immediate support but do not qualify for children’s mental health services or are on waiting lists for specialist services.
Our tailored approach is particularly well-suited for students who may respond poorly to traditional provisions such as school counsellors, art therapists, or internal staff interventions. By providing short-term support as soon as possible, we fill essential gaps in provision and offer a vital lifeline to children and schools who need it most.
Our support produces measurable and impactful outcomes. We have objectively monitored improvements in emotional well-being, resilience, and self-esteem among the students we work with. We have observed We have observed broader positive outcomes such as:
- Improved attendance, reduced barriers to learning, and a better understanding of students’ strengths, aspirations, and self-awareness.
- Improved academic performance, enhanced social skills, increased participation in school activities, empowered school staff, positive community relationships, and long-term success and well-being are all some of the positive outcomes we can bring to your school community.
- A significant reduction in school exclusion rates and antisocial behaviour, indicating comprehensive improvements in students’ overall well-being and academic engagement.
93%
found our support helpful or very helpful*
92.7%
felt support would make a difference in their lives*
77%
showed improvement across three or more subsets in pre/post-assessment scores
91%
demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the emotional section of impact assessments
97%
made progress towards SMART goals
500 / 30
children and young people / schools helped
* Figures based on children and young people who fully engaged and completed a student evaluation form in their last session.
I like it when Tasha comes to work with me. It makes me feel good and fun, and I like to talk about my feelings and why I get angry a lot.
Year 5 ADHD Student Bedfordshire
Frequently asked school service questions
Some schools and individuals may be eligible for free or highly discounted support, depending upon the funding opportunities available.
Your initial discovery meeting is completely free, so please get in touch with us to discuss your requirements and we can give you an accurate quote and let you know if there are any funding options available.
Schools may consider using pupil premium to fund BrightPaths Provision. (Therapy, counselling and specialist provision are recognised uses of pupil premium.) For more information, view our Price List.
Alternatively, If your school urgently requires mental health support for your students in the wake of the pandemic, you can apply for up to £4,000 worth of mental health provision from within the Now and Beyond community of approved and vetted providers. Now and Beyond has launched the UK’s first online database of approved mental health and wellbeing providers for young people. It’s a one-stop shop for educators searching for local provisions and BrightPaths are proud to be a part of it. Apply for funding here.
School Support: While our registered office is located in Silsoe, our dedicated mentors operate on an outreach basis, extending their services to schools across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, and select areas within Hertfordshire.
Family Support: Certain services, such as Y.E.S. mentoring, are accessible nationwide through our virtual platform.
Contact Us: Schedule a complimentary consultation with us to explore the most suitable support option for your school or family. We’re here to assist you every step of the way.
Absolutely. We offer comprehensive training sessions and workshops for school staff covering a wide range of topics, including mental health awareness. Our training modules encompass recognising signs of distress, supporting students’ emotional well-being, and implementing effective strategies within the school setting.
Additionally, we provide specialised training programs tailored to understanding neurodiversity and making reasonable adjustments, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of girls. Stay updated with our latest blogs for information on new training programs, or feel free to reach out to us if there’s a specific need within your school that you’d like to address.
Many schools utilise their pupil premium budget to fund Bright Paths Provision; therapy, counselling, and specialist provision are recognised uses of pupil premium. When this is not an option, parents in a position to do so may wish to self-fund, and we are happy to facilitate this.
Additionally, we offer subsidies for pupil premium students, look after children, and young carers. In situations where there is genuinely no way to fund a student’s support, please get in touch, as we really don’t want to see any child go unsupported. Don’t forget, there is also the option of Y.E.S mentoring.
At BrightPaths, confidentiality and privacy are of the utmost importance. We follow strict guidelines to protect the personal information of all individuals who receive our services. However, to support long-term positive outcomes, we work collaboratively with schools and families, sharing strategies when appropriate to enhance the well-being and progress of the young people we serve.
It’s also important to note that while we respect privacy, our priority is the safety of the young people we work with. In alignment with our safeguarding policy, if we believe a young person is at risk of harm, we must share relevant information with the appropriate parties to ensure their safety.
Our team comprises highly experienced professionals with expertise in child development, psychology, counselling, and related fields. Each member undergoes a DBS check and holds safeguarding and child protection training. Additionally, our staff regularly participate in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities, including courses such as Mental Health First Aid, Child Sexual Exploitation, Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and Early Trauma, as well as the Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health, among others. Rest assured, your child is in safe hands.
Our services cater to children and young people facing various emotional challenges, such as anxiety, self-esteem issues, and difficulties with emotional regulation. We support children aged 6-18, extending up to 24 if they have SEN.
Whether it’s schools, local authorities, professionals, parents and guardians, or children aged 16+, anyone can refer a child to Bright Paths for Y.E.S mentoring. We believe in an inclusive approach to accessing support. That said, our outreach services are delivered in the school environment and will require the child’s school and guardian to support and fund their referral.
Absolutely! Our mentors and behaviour consultants are not just experts; many of them are also neurodiverse themselves. They’re trained and experienced in providing support tailored to the needs of children with special educational needs. We’re here to ensure every child gets the support they deserve.
Students who receive 1:1 support and participate in our group workshops consistently demonstrate significant improvements across multiple areas. They report enhanced emotional well-being, increased self-esteem, and improved coping skills. Furthermore, they often experience advancements in academic performance, stronger social relationships, and an overall enhancement in their quality of life. Additionally, recent statistics reveal compelling results:
- 93% found our support helpful or very helpful
- 92.7% believed that our support would make a difference in their lives
- 77% showed improvement across three or more subsets in pre/post-assessment scores
- 91% demonstrated statistically significant enhancement in the emotional section of impact assessments
- 97% made progress towards SMART goals.