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  • Family Support

    At Collingwood, we have a wide number of systems to support families and children. We provide every child with a key adult to talk to and the opportunity for help with friendships, building self-esteem and for extra nurture time if needed. Parents and carers are encouraged to approach school to request an informal chat or specific support with any issues which may affect their child. This can be via a phone call or a visit. We work very closely with a number of outside agencies such as the North Tyneside Early Help team, and can refer parents and carers for extra help if needed. 

    Meet our Family Worker

    My name is Mrs Cunningham and I am the Family Worker at Collingwood. I am available for support for children and families across a wide range of issues. Please don't hesitate to contact me at school if you would like a chat about anything.

    Part of my role is to support attendance and achievement within school and to form an important link with home. I can support parents and carers with a range of issues eg: boundaries and routines, behaviour difficulties, mental health issues, sleep issues, young carers, debt and housing for example.

    I have lots of experience working with families and children and pride myself on being a good listener and problem-solver. I have 2 children myself so am sympathetic to the stresses and strains of modern life. I have links with a wide number of local agencies and charities so can offer practical help. At Collingwood, we are dedicated to improving life chances and opportunities for families through bespoke support and guidance.

    My main aim with children is to achieve and maintain health and well-being.

    School also runs a number of Early Help Plans in conjunction with North Tyneside. Please visit this website for further information and/or contact school directly if you would like this support for your family. 

    Happy Child app:

    There is one app at the moment which I find fascinating and well worth a look for any parent, it is called “The Happy Child”

    Within the app you will be shown short videos and will be asked a few short questions here and there. The main areas that are covered are; the happiness chemicals, the importance of labelling emotions, naming emotions, building deep bonds, the emotional sandbags, communication mistakes, and so much more. This app is great as you can choose how long you want to spend on it daily, 5 minutes or 20, you choose and it doesn’t take long to get through the app, and the best thing is you can go back and refer to at a later date.

    At Collingwood, we have a school nurse who visits one afternoon each week to offer support for children, parents and carers.  

    Hello, I’m Nurse Lauren.                           

    I’ve been a Children’s Nurse for four years. At the start of my career, I looked after children in the RVI with all sorts of conditions and illnesses. Everything from a bumped head to cancer. For the last three years I’ve been working in schools. School Nursing is different from hospitals because most of the children I meet now are very healthy and well. But everyone has things that they struggle with from time to time. Because of that, I’ve specialised in supporting parents and children. As well as being a Specialist Nurse I’m a Sleep Practitioner, A Mental Health First Aider and a Solihull Parenting Practitioner.

    My School Health is now a charity running as a Service Level Agreement (SLA) within school. We focus on emotional, mental and physical health through intervention, advice and training. Our focus is face-to-face early intervention to address inequality and prevent more serious issues. 

    I’ve trained and developed my skills so I can help with things like:

    • Managing an angry child at home and at school.
    • Children who may have mental health problems.
    • Children who have experienced or need to prepare for bereavement.
    • Managing children who are challenging or defiant at home.
    • Supporting parents with strategies to cope and stay calm
    • Children who self harm or hurt themselves intentionally.
    • Constipation, Soiling, daytime wetting, bedwetting
    • Testing children’s eyesight and hearing and referring  them
    • Measuring children’s height and weight and monitoring them. 
    • Talking to GP’s and Hospitals on parent’s behalf to find the right services for their child
    • Picky eaters and over eaters
    • Children who don’t sleep or sleep too much 
    • Children who need to build confidence
    • Children who struggle when their parents separate.
    • Children who may have sensory issues.
    • Children who have speech problems.
    • Children who are anxious, sad or worried. 
    • Children who may have Autism or Attention Deficit

    If you want to make an appointment to speak to me about your child then please speak to the school staff and they’ll book you in to see me or for a telephone call.

    For more information visit www.myschoolhealth.co.uk

    Promoting good sleep patterns

    Helping Children through Grief

    Keeping children safe online

    The following leaflets provide support from Family Gateway

    This document outlines how we can provide support for your child and your family and will signpost you to outside agencies who can help.

    Contact Us

    Oswin Terrace, North Shields
    Tyne & Wear, NE29 7JQ

    (0191) 605 3378