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Staff and Mental Health First Aiders

Every member of staff has a responsibility to promote positive mental health and wellbeing of our pupils. Staff members who have a specific wellbeing remit include:

  • DHT Link Health & Wellbeing (Acting) - Mrs L Maughan
  • DHT CLPL - Mrs A McGougan
  • DHT Child Protection - Ms N MacLellan
  • All Principal Teachers of Pupil Support
  • PT Support for Learning - Ms E Glass
  • Attendance Liaison Officers - Susan Neilson and Fiona O’Kane

Any member of staff who is concerned about the mental health or wellbeing of a student should speak to the Pupil Support staff in the first instance. If there is a fear that the student is in danger of immediate harm, child protection procedures should be followed with an immediate referral to the designated Child Protection Officer, or Head Teacher. If the student presents a medical emergency then the normal procedures for medical emergencies should be followed, including alerting the first aid staff and contacting the emergency services if necessary.

Mental Health First Aiders in School

The following members of staff are qualified Scottish Mental Health First Aiders. They are identifiable by their purple lanyard:

  • Annemarie McGougan DHT
  • Sarah Richford DHT
  • Kevin Quinn DHT
  • Nikki McLellan DHT
  • Melissa Keelan DHT
  • Paul Scollin DHT
  • Eleanor Glass PT SUPPORT FOR LEARNING
  • Cara Sullivan PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Rachel Dempsey PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Janice Creechan PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Lillian Higgins PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Amy Sherwood PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Gillian Gibson PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Lucy Maughan PUPIL SUPPORT
  • Robbie Leith PUPIL SUPPORT (0.4)/MUSIC
  • Sharon Wallace HOME ECONOMICS
  • Margaret McCoull HOME ECONOMICS
  • Laura Forbes PE
  • Erin Hesford PE
  • Scott McCorquodale MUSIC
  • Maryellen Quigley MUSIC
  • Wilf Taylor MUSIC
  • Jonathan Haig MUSIC
  • Tanya MacDonald DRAMA
  • Garry Hogg DRAMA
  • Debbie Little DRAMA
  • Jordan O’Hara DRAMA
  • Jodie Hendry SCIENCE
  • Christine Paisley SCIENCE
  • Alison O’Neill SCIENCE
  • Gemma Fox SCIENCE
  • Karen Broadfoot SCIENCE
  • Patricia Gallagher SCIENCE
Continuous Professional Learning

As a minimum, all staff will receive regular training about recognising and responding to mental health issues and receive annual child protection training in order to enable them to keep students safe.

Training opportunities for staff that require more in depth knowledge will be considered as part of our performance management process and additional CLPL will be supported throughout the year where it becomes appropriate due developing situations with one or more students.

Where the need to do so becomes evident, we will host twilight training sessions for all staff to promote learning or understanding about specific issues related to mental health.

Suggestions for individual, group or whole school CLPL should be discussed with Annemarie McGougan, our CLPL Coordinator who can also highlight sources of relevant training and support for individuals as needed.

Wellbeing Ambassador Programme

“We want to create a Scotland where all stigma and discrimination related to mental health is challenged, and our collective understanding of how to prevent and treat mental health problems is increased. We want to see a nation where mental healthcare is person-cantered and recognises the life-changing benefits of fast, effective treatment.”

Focusing on the Scottish Governments approach to mental health strategies being implemented across all schools, the S6 Ambassadors programme will be a scheme of work our young people will undertake over the course of their sixth year. 

We have selected a group of pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, social groups, as well as their skills set and abilities.  Each pupil will be selected through an application and interview process each year.

Putting emphasis on resilience and wellbeing, our S6 ambassadors will complete a specially designed programme of work in their own time to promote a school ethos that reflects inclusion, trust, respect and a safe learning environment for all.  Highlighting issues of mental health impacting our young people, as well as physical illness and the isolation associated with that, the overall aim is to have our S6 ambassadors lead by example for the lower school to follow.  To achieve this outcome the pupils will be participating in:

  • Child protection training session*
  • Mental Health First Aid*
  • Tutor time presentations led by our young people
  • A lunchtime drop in “safe zone”
  • Whole school presence involving lunch duties

We have a professional partnership with Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity where by our S6 ambassadors will have the opportunity to take part in the following charity events:

  • The Colour Purple Campaign
  • The Andy’s Little Helpers (December)
  • Summer Hub (June-August)

Our Ambassadors are identifiable to all pupils and staff via their purple hoodies. Any staff who are trained Mental Health first Aiders will wear purple lanyards to be visible at all times.  This campaign is part of our St Andrew’s Responding Together (STARTtalking) programme in which we are aiming to “Piece it together”.