AMANDA Atkinson, DSL and Bridge Manager at Stewards Academy, has been commended for her commitment to children’s mental health and was recently named as a finalist in the Wellbeing in School Awards 2022, organised by children’s mental health charity Place2Be, and supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Amanda has shown an exceptional level of dedication and passion in championing mental health in her 15 years at Stewards, progressing from her role as a Pastoral Support Manager to her current position as DSL and Bridge Manger, supporting students with social, emotional, mental health issues and behavioral challenges. A creative and innovative individual, Amanda has organised outside interventions, delivered training interventions to promote emotional wellbeing, and even set up a food pantry to make sure those families struggling with basic provisions are truly cared for.

After impressing a remarkable panel of judges*, Amanda was shortlisted to three finalists in the Outstanding School Leader Award category, from over 350 schools in the UK. She attended a prestigious awards ceremony at BAFTA in London on Monday 13 June 2022, where she was presented with a framed certificate noting her achievement.

Run by pioneering children’s mental health charity Place2Be, the Wellbeing in Schools Awards celebrate inspiring ambassadors of positive mental health, including children, young people, and adults, who go above and beyond to support mental wellbeing in their school communities.

Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity with over 25 years’ experience working with pupils, families, and staff in UK schools. With 1 in 6 children and young people now facing a diagnosable mental health problem, Place2Be’s mission is to improve children’s mental health. The charity believes that no child or young person should have to face mental health problems alone.

Amanda said: “My purpose is to provide everyone with a someone. All Students and staff are welcome at The Bridge, whether they’re in crisis or just need a biscuit and a chat. Young people especially don’t always have a voice, so if we at Stewards Academy can help them to be heard, they’ll have and make better choices. I don’t see that as a job, more a privilege.”

Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be said: “While we cannot ignore the mental health challenges facing schools today, it’s important to also celebrate the tremendous efforts being made to support children and young people across the UK. Amanda and the team at Stewards Academy are a shining example of going above and beyond to champion positive mental health in schools and demonstrating an inspiring commitment to supporting the wellbeing of others. The quality of the nominations we received for our Wellbeing in Schools Awards 2022 was outstanding, so to have been recognised as a finalist is a huge achievement. Congratulations!”

If you are interested in following the life of Stewards Academy, we regularly have updates on Twitter and Instagram. Please follow us @StewardsAcademy and @Stewards_Head on Twitter and @stewardsacademy on Instagram.  A final source of information is here on YourHarlow where you can see lots of things we have been up to previously: 

 http://www.yourharlow.com/category/education/stewards-academy.