At Hartland High school, we prioritise the holistic well-being of our students, in order to support them to successfully access education and achieve the best possible exam results that they can. This is why we have an integrated Mountain Rescue support service. Mountain Rescue plays a vital role in nurturing mental health and overall well-being among our students. Through our dedicated Mountain Rescue team, they assist students in overcoming challenges, ensuring they can fully engage with their education and thrive academically. At Hartland High, we believe in fostering a supportive environment where every student can reach their full potential, and Mountain Rescue's assistance reflects this commitment to their success and happiness.

Our Mountain Rescue team runs timetabled interventions to support students to overcome any social and emotional barriers to their learning. Mountain Rescue referrals can be discussed with staff and made by a student’s Head of Year or a member of the pastoral team. Students who are referred for possible Mountain Rescue support are discussed at regular Mountain Rescue Review Meetings where we bring together colleagues from the pastoral, safeguarding, attendance and SEND teams.

If required, our students may be referred to complete one or more Mountain Rescue intervention modules. 

Our Mountain Rescue modules are based around emotional-based school avoidance, anxiety, anger management, building resilience, positive engagement and other wider support packages. 

Mountain Rescue modules are delivered as weekly interventions and are intended to run for a six-week period depending on an individual's progression. 

The scheme of work for each intervention is designed to support our student's social emotional and mental health needs and follows a workbook to support oracy and to guide discussions. Interventions are based on a scheme of work but are also tailored to fit the individual students' needs. 

Once a student has been timetabled for an intervention they will complete a learning plan together with their Intervention lead. This process allows for the student's voice to be considered and involved with the process. The student will set a self-directed target while reflecting on what support they feel they need. At the end of each intervention, targets will be reviewed and student progress recorded.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

We have a whole-school graduated approach to mental health support. All students learn about mental health and wellbeing as part of the PSHE curriculum and through assemblies – they are signposted as to where to get further help as part of this. 

We want all of our students to understand that we all have mental health and can experience struggles and levels of worry at different times in our life. For example, it is normal to feel anxious when you have an assessment or an exam. We can all learn techniques and strategies to manage our own mental health and to support each other. We also have access to external agencies to support student wellbeing further where required.