SWEDA Schools Project

SWEDA is delighted to have secured funding from The Bramble Trust for a 3 year Schools Project. The project’s aim is to deliver eating disorders information, awareness raising and support to secondary schools and 6th form colleges throughout Somerset.

The project co-ordinator, Dinah Mason, will be working with heads of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in schools and student support in colleges, to identify what is currently being presented in schools regarding eating disorders and to explore what input would be most suitable and effective. SWEDA will then be developing a range of resources for use with school years 8 and 9, 10 and 11 and 6th forms, which we will pilot, evaluate and refine over the coming year.

Our intention is to incorporate pupil and teacher feedback in this process. Part of Dinah’s role will also be training Project Workers to assist with the work in Schools.

We hope to be ready to deliver the materials more comprehensively throughout Somerset by September 2007.

The Schools Project is a new (though much wanted and long overdue) venture for SWEDA which will draw on many of the experiences of the 18-25 Project for students, a 3 year project (funded by Comic Relief) to provide support to students and people in vocational training in the 18-25 age range 'affected by eating disorders'. We're interested in hearing people's thoughts and needs around this vital area of eating disorders work.

Staff Training and Student teaching & learning sessions

Aims and Objectives

There is a lot of pressure on managers, teachers and support staff in education to identify, respond to and deal with problems, presented by students, concerning difficulties regarding eating disorders. This pressure is placed on schools and colleges by government and also from a need which staff have, to be able to respond to students experiencing difficulties which are affecting both their academic and non-academic lives - which naturally have an impact on college life. Staff often find themselves with little or no information, training or support with which to meet student needs, and so feel at a loss to know ways in which to respond to, support and inform them. Consequently eating disorders can feel a very daunting subject and not knowing how to respond and support students can leave staff feeling de-skilled at best, and at worst increasingly alarmed about the threat to someone’s wellbeing and safety.

Staff training and student teaching sessions aim to de-mystify eating disorders, their causes, presentations and effects, by providing an informative and interactive space in which to learn about them, with reference to :-

• Introducing Eating Disorders
• Responding to and supporting someone with an eating disorder
• Eating Disorders, Body Image and Self-Esteem
• Eating Disorders - physical, mental, emotional and social effects on sufferers (specific emphasis on young people)

For student teaching sessions a particular emphasis is placed on giving an opportunity to discus the relationship between body image and self-esteem, how the two can manipulate each other and be affected by outside factors e.g. the media.

The sessions will be a mix of information giving, small and whole group activities and discussions, supported by video clips and casework from clinical practice.

Proposed Audience

All staff and support staff. All students - and of special interest to teachers and students within particular courses such as psychology, health and social care, childcare, complimentary therapies, hair and beauty and counselling.

Student sessions are tailored to ages:-

Years 8 and 9
Years 10 and 11
6th Form and F.E. Colleges

Options Available

1. Staff training workshops
2. Student teaching sessions (as an addition to, and in support of, certain subject area teaching)
3. Student support and awareness raising sessions

Issues Covered

1. Introducing Eating Disorders
2. Responding to and supporting someone with an eating disorder
3. Eating Disorders, Body Image and Self-Esteem
4. Eating Disorders - physical, mental, emotional and social effects on sufferers (specific emphasis on young people)

Further Information

For further information please contact:-

Dinah Mason
Schools Project Co-ordinator
SWEDA
Strode House
10 Leigh Road
STREET
Somerset
BA16 0HA

Call: 01458 448611

Or email: dinah@swedauk.org