When a young person is admitted for treatment for an eating disorder to one of Elysium’s specialist services, it’s important that their education is maintained as far as possible while they are in hospital. Each Elysium eating disorder service which supports children and young people has an integrated, Ofsted-registered school within it. Sarah Taylor, Head Teacher at Bere Clinic School, explains why the schools play such an important part in a young person’s time in hospital and the impact that maintaining an education in hospital can have on the young people in our care.
“Not everyone will be familiar with how schools like ours work and how they integrate with a young person’s treatment in hospital. The school, while in the same building as the hospital, is separate and with different staff. Children come to school for the day, have the same holidays, and sit examinations.
“There are many reasons why maintaining an education in hospital is so important for the young people being treated. I spoke with our teachers, our clinical colleagues and the young people about their views on why school and education were important for them.
“The first thing to consider is context. Our pupils range from 11 to 17 and they have been hospitalised while they are treated for their illness. Some may have never been away from home before, even for a sleepover.
“School is a place of normalcy, it’s a normal environment. It’s routine. It’s a safe space. It feels familiar. It’s what kids of their age are doing and it’s a place where they understand the expectations of them, where they know where they stand. We focus on learning and lessons, not on their illness.
“When I spoke with the pupils I asked why school was important to them in hospital. Some of them previously had refused school quite a lot before they came to hospital, but here they said it’s a healthy and positive distraction. In school, they can be pupils, not patients. While we might challenge them academically, we’re not challenging them by asking them to engage in therapy, take their medication or eat. They told me that it’s not just about that though, it’s important so they don’t feel anxious about falling behind.
“In hospital, the team are rightly focused on physical and mental health, restoring weight and addressing trauma. At school, it’s investing in the ‘afterwards’ and their future. How do they reintegrate into school positively if they’ve not been studying and learning and gaining skills while they’ve been treated for their illness? Feeling behind will contribute to worry and anxiety.
“Some young people have previously been really unhappy at their home school. Because our class sizes are so small and it’s all so individualised, we can look closely and explore what the right approach to education might be going forward for each person. Is school the right place for them to return to once they leave hospital? Are they studying the right things? If they’ve been doing 10 GCSEs, is that still the right approach, or is that too much? Could they get into the college or university they want to with fewer? We can look at really bespoke approaches for them.
“For parents, it’s reassuring that their child’s education can continue. They can sit their exams here if need be. We’ve had examples where young people have gone on to study at top 10 universities or gain scholarships for prestigious schools after being able to continue their education here while being treated for their illness.
“Education is time off the ward. It’s a place where the focus is not on illness, it’s on the future. It’s normality, safety, consistency, aspiration, setting goals and planning for the future. It does so at a time when everything might seem so dark and where it’s so hard to see past this mental health illness and raises their ambitions and aspirations for the future.
“We also organise events or visits outside of the hospital which can be really motivating for the students, because they want to take part. We can do things that maybe aren’t possible on the ward, such as pet visits, marking cultural days or having professionals from all walks of life in to visit and speak with the young people. That can all be highly motivating. They don’t want to miss out.
“But school is not just a ‘distraction’. As my learning supporting assistant says, there is real gratification from working towards something and being purposeful.
“Being a small setting, we can really focus on elements such as helping students get the extra support they need through EHCPs, for example. Because we’re small, we have a lovely balance of teaching, nurturing and setting boundaries. It helps establish confidence and reassurance so that pupils can catch up and flourish.
“Sometimes, because they are ill, they have been told they can’t do anything. They can’t pick up a book, they have to be in a wheelchair. That can be very disempowering for a young person. We say no. You can come into school and you can learn from 9am-3pm. There is nothing you can’t do educationally.”