The welfare and pastoral support service at Weston College has helped learners who have accessed it to continue with their studies in times of crisis. An impressive 92 per cent of those who used the service said it had helped them to stay on at college - and to achieve.

College leaders have invested in training to help staff support learners who are struggling with their mental health. This has included implementing enhanced procedures for supporting students with suicidal thoughts. Under a bespoke Body and Mind initiative, staff from pastoral support, sport and human resources teams have been brought together to help colleagues and students be more physically active.

Read more: Tes FE Awards 2019 winners crowned

More news: Comedian Dave Gorman to host Tes FE Awards 2019

Background: Tes FE Awards 2019 open for entries

This includes a six-week health and fitness programme for students with lower levels of physical activity and those on courses where there are high-levels of engagement with welfare services. Another scheme, called Us Girls, aims to increase the number of 16- to 25-year-old women from deprived areas taking part in regular sport or physical activity.

Weston is the only UK college to be awarded a place on the Young Minds Amplified Trailblazer programme of 13 organisations across the country. Assessors noted that Weston is a college where “the provision in relation
to mental health has wide applicability, with exceptional support for staff who are passionate and supportive of students”.

They added that Weston is a college with “a strategic commitment to student wellbeing, a significant resource investment and an innovative differentiated personal tutorial programme, where the scale of the programme is substantial, with strong holistic provision embedded in the college’s work”.