Feeling worried or anxious?
At NSC we are one big family and it matters to us that everyone in that family is ok. We know that life can be challenging at times and sometimes we all need some extra support. I think the picture below by Charlie Mackesy sums it up well:
On this page, you can find information on support services available to you, resources for self-help, and local foodbank information.
You can email worried@northstowe.education and someone from the safeguarding team will help you.
Need someone to talk to?
Don’t worry if you usually get help & support in college. During the time we are closed you can pick from the suggested list of services if you need to talk to someone:
Service Name | Information/Support Offered | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
CAMHS Live | Support with feelings of Depression, Anxiety, Self-harming, Suicidal thoughts, Stressed | |
NHS 111 Mental Health Support | Call to speak to a first responder from the NHS. Open 24/7. National. Available to everyone. | Call 111 and press option 2 |
Young Minds | Text message support. Open 24/7. National. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus. They also have a helpful website with lots of self-help resources. | Text YM to 85258 |
Childline | Call, chat online or email. Open 24/7. National. Available to anyone under 19 years old. They also have a helpful website with lots of self-help resources. | 0800 1111 |
Samaritans | Call or email. Open 24/7. National. Available to everyone. They also have a self-help app. | jo@samaritans.orgjo@samaritans.org |
VOICE | Victim of theft, robbery, attacks, abuse, violence, harassment, or stalking? | 0300 3031965 |
CIRV | In a Gang and want out? Know someone else who needs help getting out of gang related activity? | Call 24/7 on 07539 183975 |
CASUS | Need help with Drug & Alcohol abuse? CASUS is an early intervention drug and alcohol service for young people aged 10-18 in Northamptonshire. | 01223 214614 |
STEM4 | Supporting teenage mental health |
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NHS | For your mind, for your body – support for all areas | |
NSPCC | National Society for the Protection of Children | 0808 800 5000 (free) |
Shout | Text message support. Open 24/7. National. Available to everyone. | Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 |
The Mix | Call, email, live chat, telephone counselling service and crisis text messaging service. Open 24/7. Available to anyone under 25 years old. | 0808 808 4994 |
ChatHealth | Text Messaging Service for 13-19 year olds. Open weekdays, term time only. Local. | Text 07480635443 |
School Nursing | Call to speak to a member of the Cambridgeshire school nurse team. Local. Available to young people. | 0300 029 5050 |
Papyrus | Support for people surrounding suicide | 0800 0684141 |
Kooth | Online support. Open daily until 10pm. Also has peer-to-peer support moderated forums, and a range of self-help materials. Available to young people. | |
Rehab Recovery | Online support and Call to speak to immediate help and advice 24/7. Rehab Recovery offers drug and alcohol rehab treatment across the UK. | 0800 088 66 86 |
Exam Stress
Right now, thousands of children and young people are sitting exams across the country. Many of them will be feeling anxious and worried about how they will perform. Understandably this can be a stressful and difficult time, both for those taking the tests and for family and friends who want them to do their best. Understanding how to reduce exam stress is crucial during this challenging period.
Of all the counselling sessions that Childline have provided on managing exam stress, 22% of those are delivered in May. When reaching out to the NSPCC-service, children talk about how they feel under pressure to perform well in their exams, both from themselves and from their family members. They also report struggling to find the right balance between revision and taking breaks and suffering from a lack of sleep and sometimes even having nightmares.
To help all involved navigate this difficult period Childline is sharing some useful exam stress management tips which are also available on the Childline website: How to cope with exam stress
Coping Strategies
g a Situation | Mindfulness Colouring: colouring a picture. Controlled breathing and progressive muscle relaxation: Rectangular Breathing – using windows, doors, picture etc. Breathe in and out deeply as your eyes follow the rectangle. Box Breathing – breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. 7-11 Breathing – in for 7, out for 11, or as long as you can manage. |
Thinking about something good | Example: sit and draw a picture about a time when you were on holiday. Think about: What were you doing? What could you see? Who were you with? What were you wearing? What could you smell? |
Leaving a Situation | Leaving the room and coming back later. |
Talking to Someone | Talking to someone, including assertiveness and seeking advice and support. |
Mental Games | Practice mental games to shift your attention (2-3 minutes): Alphabet games (naming someone famous for each pair of initials: AB, BC, CD). Category games naming as many categories within 2 minutes: vegetables, flavour of ice creams etc. Memory games: naming all the teachers in the school. Rhyming games: listing as many rhyming words within 2 minutes. |
Books available in the Library
Local Foodbanks
Food banks provide food for free to people who struggle to afford to buy enough food to eat. Northstowe Secondary College’s local foodbanks can be found here:
Village/Town | Foodbank | Location |
Northstowe | Sustainable Northstowe Community Pantry – Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30am to 4:30pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm Northstowe Foodbank (Trussell Trust) – Open Wednesday, 1:30pm to 3:30pm | Temporary Community Centre, 1 The Green, Pathfinder Way, Northstowe, CB24 1FD |
Bar Hill | Bar Hill Food Hub Open Monday 10am to 12pm | Bar Hill Church Centre, Hanover Close, Bar Hill, Cambridge CB23 8EH |
Willingham | Willingham Foodbank Open Wednesday, 1:30pm – 3:30pm | Willingham Baptist Church, George St, Willingham, Cambridge CB24 5LJ |