Kevin, a small business owner, was struggling with the uncertainty of growing his business. Of notable discussion was the prospect of putting himself out to the world and being able to stay focused on the tasks in hand.

Coaching allowed him to have a much needed sounding board and develop a ‘can-do’ attitude. As a result he was able to create an anchor and schedule allowing positive growth of his company.

The Warriner School, Bloxham is a Good rated secondary school near Banbury, but as GCSE exams loomed they wanted to teach skills to help the young people get through the stressful period. I provided power bursts for lunch time groups and girls-only after-school sessions where there was a marked improvement in wellbeing and confidence. Feedback afterwards was that all young people felt better able to process their emotions before, during, and after the exams and had been successful.

Leanne, a small business owner, was concerned with launching her website. 

Through coaching, it was easy to see that self-doubt was causing confusion and preventing her from inching over the ‘publish’ line.

What Leanne had though was a clear understanding of her business and what she wanted, is an expert in her field, and even had a wesbite designer lined up. All she needed was a hand to move her forward with confidence, and together that’s just what we did. Clear goals and outcomes were created, and a website showing off her business was launched.

Our Lady’s, Cowley is a Good rated Catholic primary school near Oxford. Having identified pupils to work with, I supported a small group of priority SEND children on a themed programme in order to support greater and more productive engagement in the classroom. The programme saw an improvement in their self-esteem and provided confidence boosting skills.

Lucy, a small business owner, was overwhelmed in managing the growth in her business in the right way. Various options had been considered already but self-doubt was prompting her to put further blocks in place.

Exploring her strengths and mindset we were able to pinpoint suitable actions, manage expectations of herself, formulate a rock-solid plan that would not only benefit the business but aid in work-life balance.

The Scouts have regualrly invited me to several of their groups across Oxfordshire. Working with all ages, I have supported weekly sessions, attended sports days, as well as sleepovers, in order to provide an insight into how the brain works and how they can best support their own wellbeing. I work closely with the leaders to tie workshops in with themes and any badgework that the children may be completing. These workshops have been run with all ages. 

The Guides have had me attend their Rainbow and Brownie weekly sessions across Oxfordshire to provide fun activities around wellbeing skills. We have worked to themes and introduced craft in longer sessions. Like the Scouts workshops, sessions have been tailored to their badgework, and on occasions been amended last minute based on heavily reduced numbers.

School Anxiety meant a Year 9 pupil had begun to disengage at a crucial point in his education. When he did manage to get into school, the experience was not positive. A private client, we spent time building up his confidence and pinpointing where the difficulties were. Working through each of these, at the end of our time together, he was fully re-engaged with classes, happier in himself, felt ‘saved’, and passed his exams.

Separation Anxiety and fear of the unknown has made attending school residentials an impossibility for several primary school pupils I’ve worked with. The prospect of time away from home and the ‘what-ifs’ of being there were overpowering throughts. Working with individuals, we identified areas to work on and then put in place strategies that would allow them to pack up their wellbeing kits and step over the threshold.

1:1 coaching and group workshops featured highly when I worked in an all-through school. Whether helping set up a Nurture space and working with SEND pupils or dealing with wellbeing and behaviour of secondary pupils, I supported many children and young people to re-engage with lessons, providing tailored support to meet their needs.

Kennington Playgroup children enjoyed regular sessions where I linked to the theme of the week, teaching relaxation skills through fun activities, games, and stories. This gave them a strong foundation and understanding of mental health and wellbeing strategies for when they move up to their primary schools, and for which they can carry through to adulthood. Weekly, I would work with groups of varying sizes teaching them story massage, breathing techniques, and more.

Justice in Motion, an Oxford-based physical theatre company who tackle social justice issues, are touring their production of CODE, which focuses on county lines, knife crime, and child exploitation. My role is to work closely with professional agencies across England to engage young people in week-long residencies attached to the production, as well as a new education programme designed by myself. I am involved in research and impact work, as well as the development of an education resource pack for schools.

Wolvercote Young People’s Club had been left without staff and an uncertain future at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking on the role of Charity Manager, it became clear the breadth of issues from extreme financial defecit to lack of support or cohesion. Having relaunched the youth provision, I employed a staff and volunteer team, instated new systems, processes, procedures, vision, mission, and five-year business plan, and at time of leaving, with support from my team, the club no longer had the five-figure deficit which it had held for half a decade, and had a healthy membership. Strong partnerships had been built and several community events held, including intergenerational work.

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

Kennington Youth Club had a rich 75-year history. It closed in 2016 and was set for permanent closure. Taking on the lead role in 2017, I spent seven years managing youth provision. Within two weeks of reopening we were full with a waiting list. Within three months we received national accreditation. The building had a complete overhaul, including the introduction of a wellbeing room, and fully succeeded on all areas of the five-year business plan I had created. We offered young leader training, and provided a variety of trips and events in addition to a varied weekly programme that followed the NYA’s Curriculum.

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

When the Oxfordshire Discovery College, a mental health and wellbeing intervention for children and young people, was launched, I was asked to support with its inception. Working in partnership with another tutor, I co-designed and led the college’s pilot project, working in Tower Hill Primary School in Witney. This project had many challenges, including ensuring it was fully accessible by all children referred to it, but doing it in the middle of a global pandemic too. Results showed an increase in confidence, ability to be calm, and better able to manage in difficult situations. This programme still exists within the college, now called Discovery Club.

Scouts have been around for years. For around 15 of those I was a Section Leader. During my time I helped launch a Beaver Scout Colony (ages 6-8), and in a precarious time, amended our practice to ensure we didn’t close. We rapidly became full with a waiting list long enough to launch another group the same size. Simultaneously I launched an Explorer Scout Unit (ages 14-18), offering DofE, Young Leaders training, and many excursions. At 17, I was a District Leader coordinating adult volunteers and programmes across the locality, leading and assisting with large scale events, and running meetings. The groups I launched continue to this day. I was awarded the Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service.

Oxfordshire Youth provides support to youth services across the county. During my time there, I supported in the development of the online presence of the organisation, working with the website creator, writing and distributing digital content, and providing live social media updates at conferences. I managed the accreditation scheme, which coincided with providing tailored support and training to local youth organisations, working with them to streamline their work and build partnerships. I was instrumental in impact evaluation for reporting. I put in place processes for event bookings to increase reach and improve the professionalism of the charity.

St Christopher’s Primary School in Cowley, Oxford was placed into special measures. Working alongside their pastoral and data administrators to review processes and procedures, I helped them instigate new systems that would allow them to see clearly where the issues were and then identify how best to support children and their families with these in order to improve school engagement. During this, full breakdowns of every class and granular work at pupil level was undertaken, with strategies put in place to support individual families. This work contributed to OFSTED removing the school’s special measures grading.

South Oxford Adventure Playground (SOAP) works with children and young people in an outdoors after-school setting. Over a period of three years, I provided support to the organisation notably around processes, procedures, policies, and people, as well as provided activity ideas, in order to improve their practice and help streamline their work. Partnership working between Kennington Youth Club and Wolvercote Young People’s Club were also discussed to best support all three organisations.