Belvedere & The Girls Day School Trust

CMCAFS have recently partnered with The Belvedere Academy to support the development of an exciting and innovative pilot project, delivered in collaboration with the Girls’ Day School Trust (an international network of girls’ schools), Liverpool Virtual School, and the Council’s Early Help and Safeguarding Teams.


The project aimed to create and pilot a model of Internal Alternative Provision (IAP) within The Belvedere Academy, a mainstream secondary school for girls designed to support some of the most vulnerable pupils with identified social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. The goal: to help these students remain connected to their school community, reduce the risk of exclusion, and strengthen the role of early help and safeguarding within education.

As part of this work, the CMCAFS team:


• Supported strategic planning and the development of a therapeutic framework of care
• Delivered targeted training to staff within both the IAP and the wider school
• Provided ongoing supervision to key staff leads
• Facilitated case consultations for the multi-disciplinary team (MDT)
• Led on the evaluation of the pilot


Early evaluation has shown highly encouraging outcomes: improved pupil and family engagement, a reduction in suspension and exclusions, and feedback from MDT professionals indicating that this model of working has significantly enhanced their ability 
to support young people and their families effectively.


This project reflects our commitment to co-creating psychologically responsive, relational approaches that make a real difference in the lives of children, families, and the professionals who support them.

“
’Without doubt, our psychologically responsive approach to behaviour would not be so well embedded in our school without input from (CMCAFS). Having access to the expertise, empathy and knowledge provided by (CMCAFS) whether it be through staff training or psychological consultations around some of our students with complex needs, has meant that we can develop a real understanding of the whole child, as well as improving our relationships with families, who previously may have been hard to reach. Our staff who do the most direct work with our complex children and young people, including pastoral staff, our in-house family support workers and therapist, have benefitted from high quality supervision and a safe collective space where they can share ongoing worries and concerns. The support has been invaluable and has formed an integral part of ensuring our pilot project with the local authority is a success.”

Deputy headteacher – The Belvedere Academy