CASS Interventions
Our CASS (Compliance, Attendance, Safeguarding & Student Support) team is now a well-established and central part of life at Herne Bay High School. We are dedicated to supporting every student so they feel safe, included, and able to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
Our priority is to safeguard and promote wellbeing, working closely with families to build trusted relationships. This ensures that when challenges arise, we can respond quickly and effectively, helping students achieve the best possible outcomes academically, emotionally, and personally.
Alongside day-to-day safeguarding and wellbeing work, CASS also leads on:
- A wide range of interventions tailored to individual student needs
- Wellbeing and safeguarding assemblies throughout the year
- Drop-in sessions where students can talk to a trusted adult
- Family support and signposting to specialist agencies where needed
We triage every referral carefully so that students receive the right support, at the right time.
Our interventions for 2025/26 include (but are not limited to):
Nurture Groups x 3 per week (6/7 week programme termly – referral basis)
Wellbeing support programme – Improve self-esteem confidence, peer relationship, develop social and life skills. Activities designed around the MIND 5 pillars of wellbeing ‘Learn, Give, Take Notice, Connect and Be Active’.
Youth Engagement Group – Referral on a roll on roll off basis.
(More Informal Nurture Group quieter / calmer activities one or two lessons depending on need)
Soft Landing Monday Morning – Referral on a roll on roll off basis.
(Mentor support P1 and 2 Mons to support anxious / EBSA / possible EBSA students)
Healthy Relationships
Pre - prepared programme supporting students to have healthy relationships and friendships.
Managing Emotions
Pre prepared programme looking at strategies to manage emotions and develop good mental health.
Youth Engagement
1:1 support in addition to House manager support for more complex students or those needing temporary more intensive support.
Youth Engagement summer holiday check in
Pre - September start check ins with RG to go over initial term start anxieties and
Talk about
Pre - prepared intervention helping students to vocalise their emotions and understand other’s behaviour and social interactions.
Zones of Regulation – SV
Pre Prepared programme helping small groups of KS3 students understand and regulate emotions
Creative Art Therapy - Roll on Roll of referral system. Termly
Using Creative arts Therapy to support students’ mental health and improve their self-esteem, self-worth, peer relationships and confidence.
ELSA – Referral on a roll-on role-off basis
Pre-prepared support programme delivered by qualified ELSA LSA. Students learn and develop their emotional literacy being able to express and manage feelings and use language communicate rather than behaviour.
Young Carers Programme – Referral through IMAGO / Student Support Managers
Annual Young Carers programme to support young carers needs both social and emotional. Students have access to Tina Culver from Imago during sessions, learn life skills, develop supportive peer relationships and engage in activities in the wider community
Compass Programme – KCC – Referral 6-week programme primarily KS4 students.
Students experiencing anxiety and overwhelming feelings or on the border of EBSA. Students learn distress intolerance, develop resilience and improve self-esteem and confidence. Improve peer interactions. Students develop some life skills.
Youth Workshops Compass Group – KCC - Referral 6-week programme primarily KS4 students.
Students experiencing anxiety and overwhelming feelings or on the border of EBSA. Students learn distress intolerance, develop resilience and improve self-esteem and confidence. Improve peer interactions. Students develop some life skills.
Youth Worker Support – Riverside1:1 and small groups Referral roll on roll off basis. Primarily KS4
1:1 and small group work with Youth Worker. Designed to address specific issues identified through referral – e.g. sexuality, relationships, positive choices, home / school issues.
Youth Engagement Registration time –Referred through Student Support Managers EBSA and vulnerable students
Daily Mentor time registration in small group for more vulnerable students / EBSA.
CASS Residential (2 x annually) Currently Avon Tyrrell New Forest and Quex Park Students identified through Nurture group and by House Managers
Students engage in a residential experience. Developing resilience, life skills, peer relationships and growing in confidence and self-esteem. Students participate in some adventurous activities and external instructors used for specialist activities.
Residential Wellbeing Trips
Two planned trips (Quex and New Forest) Builds resilience, teamwork, independence, and outdoor learning in a supportive environment.
Click here to read about our CASS Residential Trip to the New Forest - May 2025
Helping Your Child Navigate the Online/Digital World
Supporting Young People Online - Reporting Harmful Images and Deepfakes
As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping students safe online, our safeguarding team regularly completes training on emerging online risks. One area that is becoming increasingly concerning nationally is the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology, which can be used to create or manipulate images without a person’s consent.
To help ensure students and families know where to seek help if they encounter harmful or inappropriate images online, we are signposting the following trusted reporting services. These organisations can help remove images from the internet and provide support where needed.
Take It Down is a free service that helps young people remove or stop the spread of nude images of under-18s online. Images are converted into a digital fingerprint so that participating platforms can prevent them from being shared. Access the service here: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org
The Internet Watch Foundation is a UK organisation that works to identify and remove abuse imagery online. Anyone can report content anonymously.
Report harmful content here: https://www.iwf.org.uk
Report Remove, provided by Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation, allows young people under 18 to report images or videos of themselves online and get help to have them removed.
Access the tool here: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/report-remove
Accessing Support in School
Students can also speak to a member of the school’s safeguarding team if they are worried about something they have seen or experienced online. We encourage young people to seek help as soon as possible so that we can support them and take appropriate action, and we reiterate this regularly with students during our house assemblies.
Supporting Families: Local Mental Health Services for Parents & Carers
At Herne Bay High School, we recognise that parental mental health plays an important role in children’s emotional wellbeing and their ability to engage positively in school life. Seeking support when things feel difficult is a strong and proactive step.
If you or someone in your household would benefit from additional support, the following local services are available:
Live Well Kent
A free mental health and wellbeing service for adults across Kent, offering support with anxiety, stress, low mood, and guidance to access appropriate local services.
https://livewellkent.org.uk/
Canterbury Safe Haven (MHM)
A welcoming, non-clinical ‘crisis café’ for adults (18+) experiencing emotional distress or who feel they may be approaching crisis. Open every evening 6pm–11pm, including weekends and bank holidays. This service is a walk-in service - no appointment or GP referral required. Phone: 07876 476 703 or 07483 163 953 Email: canterbury.mhm@nhs.net
https://www.mhm.org.uk/canterbury-safe-haven
If you would like further advice or support, please contact our Safeguarding Team via the school office or on dsl@hernebayhigh.org. We are here to support our families as well as our students.
CASS Assemblies