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):

Counselling

• 3 counsellors in school, with a 4th joining in January.
• One-to-one sessions offering a safe and confidential space for students to explore worries, build resilience, and develop coping skills.

Emotional Wellbeing Team (EWT)

• 8 workers based in school delivering evidence-based early interventions.
• Support includes CBT-style approaches, managing low mood, and tackling anxiety.

ASDAN – Mental Health

• Accredited course delivered via CASS triage.
• Helps students gain practical skills in emotional regulation, wellbeing, and healthy living.

Zones of Regulation

• A structured programme to help students understand and manage their emotions.
• Supports self-regulation through visual tools and strategies.

Talkabout Therapy

• Small group sessions to develop social communication, friendship skills, and self-esteem.
• Particularly supportive for students with ASD or social difficulties.

Nurture Groups (x6)

• Targeted groups for students who need to build confidence, resilience, and self-worth.
• Provides a safe space to explore feelings and strengthen peer connections.

Compass Groups (x4)

• Based on DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy).
• Teaches young people coping strategies, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and relationship skills.

Healthy Relationship Group (x1)

• Focus on recognising safe and unsafe relationships.
• Promotes respect, boundaries, and positive communication.

Managing Emotions – Anger Management

• Practical sessions for students struggling with anger or impulse control.
• Teaches strategies to calm, reflect, and respond appropriately.

SSM, Youth Engagement Check-Ins

• Regular mentoring sessions with Student Support Managers, Safeguarding staff, or Youth Engagement staff.
• Provides ongoing monitoring, encouragement, and personalised support.

EBSA Support

• Specialist strategies to help students experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance.
• Focus on graded exposure, trust-building, and reducing anxiety about attending school.

ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)

• Trained ELSA providing targeted one-to-one support.
• Helps students understand and manage emotions, friendships, and social skills.

Oak Mentor

• Dedicated mentor offering bespoke support.
• Focus on engagement, self-confidence, and school belonging.

Coping Strategies

• Practical tools and techniques for managing stress, anxiety, and low mood.
• Includes relaxation, problem-solving, and positive thinking exercises.

Safeguarding Drop-In Sessions

• Weekly student-led safeguarding sessions with the DSL/CASS team.
• A safe space for students to raise concerns, seek advice, ask for help or just check-in.

Social Time Support

• Structured supervision and safe spaces available at breaks and lunchtimes.
• Helps students who struggle in unstructured times to feel safe and included.

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.