Supporting the Wellbeing of Every Pupil
At RGS, we are deeply committed to fostering a supportive environment where every pupil can thrive emotionally and physically. Our dedicated Pastoral and Wellbeing teams work collaboratively to provide comprehensive support, ensuring that all pupils feel safe, secure, and able to achieve their full potential. We pride ourselves on our trauma-informed approach to care, and on having a variety of trained staff members whom pupils can turn to for an emotionally available adult.
Given the current Mental Health Crisis affecting pupils nationally, we are committed to ensuring that our pupils have access to mental health support as soon as they need it and aim to avoid waiting lists for any of our Wellbeing provision.
Health & Pastoral Care
Our Health Centre is at the heart of our pastoral provision, expertly staffed by two fully qualified nurses, Miss Nikky Gill and Mrs Nicky Gardner, both with extensive experience in the NHS. The team provides compassionate and expert care, offering a confidential space where pupils can feel safe discussing any physical or emotional concerns.
Working in close collaboration with the wider pastoral team, the Nurses provide advice and guidance that is tailored to each individual and act as a point of triage for Mental Health concerns and escalations to the Counselling and Wellbeing team. We also work in partnership with external agencies, such as the Immunisation Team, and play an active role in the PSHCE curriculum to educate pupils on health and development. To ensure a high standard of care across the school, we lead mandatory training for staff, including our annual anaphylaxis courses.
Counselling Services
Sometimes young people feel confused by their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviour, and that confusion can leave them feeling alone. Opening up is not always easy – many worry about upsetting the people they care about or do not know where to begin.
School counselling offers a safe confidential space to explore what is happening inside with someone who is outside their day-to-day life. For pupils, it provides support, understanding and practical tools to cope with challenges. For parents, it offers reassurance that their child has an additional trained adult who listens, guides and helps them to move through difficult moments with clarity and confidence.
Our dedicated counselling team is highly experienced in supporting young people through life’s various challenges. Whether it is navigating feelings of anxiety, low mood, emotional overwhelm, or dealing with more complex experiences like trauma, bereavement, or self-harm, we provide a safe and caring space for them to heal. We are also committed to neuro-inclusive practice and take pride in supporting the unique needs of neurodivergent pupils. We work creatively in sessions to ensure that young people feel safe, supported and ultimately glad that they came.
Our Dedicated Counselling Team
Rachel Harling
Rachel has been supporting children and young people for many years and has a wide range of training in different ways of helping. She brings a wealth of experience from her many years working within NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, where she supported young people through some really difficult times with care, patience and understanding.
In 2016, Rachel chose to move from the NHS into school-based work, guided by a deep belief in the importance of offering support as early as possible, before things feel too big or overwhelming, knowing that early guidance can make a lasting difference. She joined RGS in 2017 and has loved being part of a school community where young people can feel safe, heard and supported.
Rachel is wholeheartedly committed to being the very best support she can be for the young people and families she works with, offering care that is thoughtful, compassionate and grounded in genuine respect.
Mr Jay Rogers
Jay is a person-centred counsellor who has worked with children and young people in education since 2018 prior to completing his training, he worked across mainstream and special educational needs (SEND) provisions. He completed his studies and began working as a counsellor in 2024.
Since then, Jay has worked as a counsellor with the RSVP Birmingham and in schools, colleges and sixth form settings with children and young people aged 5-18. He offers young people a calm, supportive space where they can feel heard and understood. Jay works with issues including anxiety, low mood, relationships and identity and believes that having somebody to talk to at the right time can make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.
Both Rachel and Jay are trained in a broad range of evidence based therapeutic approaches. If you would like to know more, please do drop an email.
If you are at all concerned about your child or simply want to reach out to talk things through, you are welcome to get in touch any time.
Rachel Harling: rnh@rgsw.org.uk
Jay Rogers: jar@rgsw.org.uk
Counselling Support
Our counselling team can support pupils with a wide range of issues, including:
- Anxiety and stress
- Low mood, depression, and low self-esteem
- Attendance challenges
- Anger management and emotional regulation
- Peer relations and family issues
- Bereavement and coping with physical illness
- Self-harm and eating disorders
The counselling service is offered as a supplementary service. For further details, including logistical information, fees, and our confidentiality policy, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Sofia Nicholls, by email.
Specialised Wellbeing Provision
We believe that wellbeing extends beyond formal support, which is why we offer a range of unique resources to help pupils manage their Mental and Emotional health.
- Relaxation Sessions: Led by Mr Richard Willis, these popular sessions equip pupils with invaluable strategies for coping with stress and anxiety. We offer both weekly group sessions and tailored one-to-one courses, providing pupils with skills that are beneficial both now and in their future lives.
- Our Therapy Dog: Our certified Pets as Therapy Dog is a much-loved member of the school community and is often available in our Wellbeing area, providing a comforting presence and a space for pupils to de-stress.
- Dedicated Wellbeing Spaces: Pupils can access a variety of safe and supervised spaces designed to support their mental health and wellbeing. These include a specialised Relaxation Room within the Health Centre, dedicated 1:1 counselling rooms, a supervised Welfare Room for lunchtime quiet time, as well as the main Wellbeing area in Whiteladies, staffed by Mrs Nicholls and the Counselling Team.
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