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It鈥檚 the little girl who was so anxious about coming to school she refused to let go of her mum or leave the car park.

Now she skips into the building with a beaming smile, full of confidence in her lessons and with her classmates and with her teachers.

It鈥檚 the boy whose anger was spilling out into the classroom and causing problems in the playground.

He now knows his triggers, is aware of how to control them and is getting on with his friends and schoolwork better because of that.

These are the real-life examples Ince CoE primary head teacher Jillian Hyde recalls when she reflects on how counselling has helped children at her school.

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 manage without it,鈥� she says.

Social and emotional needs

鈥淐hildren鈥檚 social and emotional needs have to be met before they can even start to think about the work they are doing at school.

聽鈥淭here are barriers to learning that children face; these may be problems at home, domestic violence, anxieties. The counsellors have the skills to be able to raise those barriers.鈥�

And Jillian and her staff can see the difference in the children who are helped by the counsellors.

鈥淲e see a child who鈥檚 happy; a child who walks through the door and is ready to learn; a child who recognises when they鈥檝e got a problem who can deal with it.

鈥淭hrough counselling they have the confidence to articulate their emotions,鈥� she adds.

The school鈥檚 pastoral manager Marjorie Banks agrees.

鈥淭he children are much more confident in school. That鈥檚 amazing to see,鈥� she says.

The 450-pupil school has bought-in counselling from 香港六合彩精准资料-accredited service Wigan Family Welfare for many years.

It鈥檚 one of 46 schools in Wigan and Leigh supported by the service.

Two professional counsellors visit the school every week. And there鈥檚 always a waiting list.

But the staff are determined that the youngsters who need the service, have access to it.

The school takes its pupil鈥檚 mental health and wellbeing extremely seriously.

It has a pastoral service to support children. If any youngsters show the signs that they are struggling or displays a sudden change in behaviour, staff refer them to Marjorie who will decide what happens next.

Online alert system Tootoot

It also has an online alert system called Tootoot where youngsters can log in 24/7 and send a 鈥榯oot鈥� if they are feeling low or anxious about something.

Senior staff can then respond and ensure the child gets appropriate help or reassurance.

But the staff also recognise that sometimes youngsters need more support than they can offer.

鈥淲e鈥檙e educators 鈥� we know we haven鈥檛 got the skills a counsellor has,鈥� says Jillian.

While it鈥檚 teaching and support staff who are normally the first to recognise if a child may be struggling, it鈥檚 the counsellors who then get to the root of the problem in their sessions.

Some of the reasons for youngsters needing counselling relate to their family situations, domestic violence or because their parents have a substance misuse problem.

鈥淲hen we looked at why children have counselling, the biggest ones on our criteria was domestic violence and alcohol abuse. Parents splitting up and the impact that had; children thinking it鈥檚 their fault,鈥� says Jillian.

But now there鈥檚 a new breed of issues the school and counsellors are having to contend with.

Both Jillian and Marjorie agree that social media and computer games are affecting school pupils鈥� wellbeing.

Staff are witnessing the impact first hand.

Marjorie says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 an addiction, a self-confidence issue.聽 They think the more hits they get on social media, the more likes they get, means they鈥檙e liked more. But in reality, it鈥檚 just a tick box. They don鈥檛 understand who their real friends are.

Manifests on their mind

鈥淲hen children say something unkind on social media, that sentence is there forever. It manifests on their mind.鈥�

Even though the school only takes children aged between four and 11, the staff say some of their pupils are already playing Fortnite, a popular 18-rated game.

They are worried about children becoming addicted to it, being exposed to violence, language and situations they are too young to understand.

And they have seen examples of children who are unable to tell the difference between what happens in a computer game and reality.

鈥淭hey act out the game in the yard. It鈥檚 very addictive. They can鈥檛 put it down,鈥� says Marjorie.

鈥淵ears ago you would see all this stuff in high school because being a teenager is a risk time. But that is happening earlier now, it鈥檚 happening in year 5, year 6. They鈥檙e not old enough to understand, they鈥檙e not mature enough to realise the dangers.鈥�

Jillian adds: 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 focus. We ask 鈥榙id you do your homework last night?鈥� The answer鈥檚 鈥榥o鈥�. 鈥楧id you read?鈥� 鈥楴o鈥�. Parents are finding it hard to parent. Marjorie will have many conversations with parents where they say 鈥榟e鈥檚 out of control, I don鈥檛 know what to do.鈥欌��

Youngsters also often face anxieties about moving up to high school.

It鈥檚 one of the main reasons children in year six have counselling at this time of year 鈥� to help prepare them for this change.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e safe here, they鈥檙e secure here, they know who they can come and talk to.

鈥淏ut they鈥檙e unsure of the unknown at high school,鈥� says Jillian.

Jillian and Marjorie are both very vocal about the benefits of counselling to the children at the school.

But they both know that, with tight budgets in education, that funding is always a concern.

Priority

鈥淲e know that next year we鈥檙e going to have less money 鈥� but this has to be a priority,鈥� says Jillian.

She鈥檚 keen that more attention is paid to children鈥檚 emotional needs in primary school.

鈥淚f we are really going to do something about the emotional well-being of children at school it has to start early. People have to recognise that we are putting a sticking plaster over high school. It鈥檚 got to start in primary school.鈥�

She believes the support counsellors give the children now will stick with them through the rest of the lives and that it will also help prepare them for any difficult days or situations they may face when they are older.

That鈥檚 not just at high school, but in their work and family life beyond that.

鈥淥ur aim is to help children to be high-school ready,鈥� she adds.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also to give them the emotional tools and skills to prepare them for what they will face in life.鈥�

Read more about our work with children, young people and families.