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Preparing students for the next step

THE Autumn meeting of the HMC/GSA Universities Committee (representing independent schools to the university sector) this year coincided with National Mental Health Awareness Day and, appropriately, the agenda was dominated by the issue of student mental health.

Following research showing that suicides among UK students rose by 56 per cent in the ten years to 2016, universities are under increasing pressure to improve their support facilities. Bristol University, our hosts on this occasion, has had its share of adverse publicity recently and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Judith Squires, was keen to share information about initiatives Bristol has taken to improve support, and also to open a dialogue with schools about the issue.

Schools play a vital role in preparing students for university life long before they set foot in a lecture hall, of course, so this was a valuable opportunity to join some dots. Professor Squires observed how often, in her experience, mental health problems occurred when students were there ‘for the wrong reasons’. Above all, then, schools must offer tailored advice to ensure that students end up on the right course at the right place for them. Knowing the students really well is key, and negotiating the labyrinth of choices (currently around 37,000 courses) is best done with teachers who know them and understand their capabilities and interests – best done in a Sixth Form that is not too big and impersonal.

Besides this, helping students develop a versatile toolkit – encompassing everything from the psychological to the purely practical, via the social – to enable them to cope with the pressures and setbacks of university life is a vital ingredient in any good Sixth Form programme.

What does this look like in practice?

Every school differs but the High School sets great store by:

* tutorial and mentoring programmes which help our students gain the self-knowledge to choose the right path

* bespoke advice on how to make good decisions when making important choices

* classes on basic skills, such as finance

* wide-ranging workshops covering relevant aspects of the law, about such issues as consent

* opportunities to practise networking and build the confidence to negotiate ambiguous or potentially threatening social situations.

A grounding such as this will not, of course, be a guarantee of success and happiness as an undergraduate but it will go a long way towards ensuring that young people embark on the adventure of university with realistic expectations, the mindset to seize the opportunities that arise and the skills to handle the setbacks they meet along their way.

For more information about Northampton High School, see the website www.northamptonhigh.gdst.net or call the Registrar, Amanda Wilmot, on 01604 765765 or email

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