The Chronicle, Summer 2019

11 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

tick off her revision topics. Over time, her fear of failure diminished as the amount of ground she’d covered grew. The skill as a coach is to help pupils to get to the absolute heart of the issue, to isolate it from all its attendant emotions, and to help them find that first pragmatic step out of the quagmire. Of course, we as coaches must stay on top of things. It’s important to hold the pupil accountable for their own plans – are they sticking to the timetable? There are often setbacks along the way, things don’t always run smoothly. But we are prepared for that. These are the teenage years, after all. Can you give us another example? A few years ago, a new Sixth Former joined us with debilitating mental health issues. He was incredibly bright but very anxious. Even tiny incidents or minor setbacks could overwhelm him. In coaching terms, I believed that he had the capacity to tackle his anxiety within himself. Together, we developed a sequence for managing that surge of anxiety, about analysing the reality of the situation – if this test doesn’t go well, are there really any long-term consequences? We encouraged him to talk to friends and other staff so the worry wasn’t all bottled up. It’s about finding a coping strategy. For him, the anxiety will probably always be there on some level, but there are ways of dealing with it. This particular pupil had enormous determination. I was really impressed with the way in which he addressed his anxiety. In situations such as this, and in so many similar situations, the coaching methodology can be transformational. In this area, I work very closely with the Deputy and Assistant Pastoral Heads, James Cope and Rachel Bellamy. We’ve just carried out our first wellbeing survey (organised by Gemma Ferrier in the Health Centre) with all pupils and we look forward to sharing the results in the autumn. An important element of our wellbeing framework is our team of Peer Listeners, Sixth Formers trained to provide a listening ear and to know when further help is needed. These pupils apply for the Tell us a bit more about the wellbeing agenda.

role and are vital members of our teenage community – they are role models, and can do much to shape our culture. Our Peer Listeners understand life from the pupils’ point of view and they often have

brilliant ideas for making a difference. They recently organised a focus week on ‘healthy relationships’, and they work very closely with House Matrons to be the eyes and ears on the ground.

Noah Wilmot, Ben Wright and Oli Degroot

Olivia Johnson, Zoe Forbes and Philippa Koh