We are thrilled to share that Greenhead College has been awarded Gold standard for its outstanding mental health and well-being provision, delivered by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools. 

The Gold award, which is the highest status accolade, acknowledges Greenhead College’s excellence in well-being support, and its Mental Health and Well-being Framework, which has developed over several years. The framework demonstrates the College’s commitment to well-being and helps to create a positive culture of mental and physical health that benefits the whole College community. 

As part of this, Greenhead College hosts a dedicated Mental and Physical (M+P) Week each term. These offer an opportunity for both staff and students to access activities, information sessions and resources to support mental health and well-being both in and out of the classroom. M+P Weeks highlight the importance placed on mental health and well-being by the College and offer an opportunity to explore the relationship between well-being and academic outcomes. A range of activities are also offered to boost the well-being of students and staff throughout the academic year, such as enrichment, sports and physical recreation, walking for wellness, Cosy Café, mindfulness colouring and regular visits from therapy dogs. 

The assessment process also highlighted many areas of excellence, including the College’s pioneering and well-established Counselling Service, which makes 75 therapeutic hours available to the College’s student population each week, and is a vital support in a time when statutory services can be so difficult to access.

Mo Bunter, Principal at Greenhead College commented: 

“Being awarded the Gold Standard is testament to the excellent strategies and provision that the College has in place to support mental health and well-being. I am extremely proud that everything we do at the College has been recognised and we will continue to strive for excellence and share our best practices with others.”

Claire Parr, Assistant Principal for Student Support and Welfare said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive the Gold Award for Mental Health. Bringing mental health and well-being support together under one unified framework, reflects our commitment to creating a safe, supportive environment where the well-being of students and staff is our top priority. The framework is the foundation to ensure we are recognising the mental health and well-being of all stakeholders but will also enable us to adapt our well-being provision in response with the changing needs of our community.”

Greenhead College has formally signed a partnership agreement with Holmfirth based charitable organisation, River Holme Connections.

The two organisations will work together to enhance the environmental education of the College’s students, staff and wider community in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the River Holme corridor and surrounding area. 

This will be achieved through a variety of collaborative projects and activities led by River Holme Connections and participated by Greenhead College students and staff. 

In the College’s Environmental Sustainability Strategic Plan, overseas trips were identified as the largest contributor towards the college’s carbon footprint in 2022, and its strategic plan is to reduce this year on year, with the aim of reaching net zero by 2038. 

To support this target and attempt to balance the impact of travel, students were encouraged to attend a River Holme Connections volunteering day planting trees in the Holme Valley. Furthermore, the college has made a donation of £500 to River Holme Connections whose primary aim is to ‘make the River Holme catchment a better place for people and wildlife.’

Stuart Strathdee, Teacher of Chemistry and Sustainability Lead at Greenhead College said

“Greenhead College is delighted to sign this agreement with River Holme Connections.  It provides fantastic opportunities for our students to connect with nature, have fun learning new skills and contribute to brilliant community projects.  I’m sure it’s going to help inspire students to support the college’s broader sustainability goals.”

Simon Hirst, River Interventions Manager at River Holme Connections also commented

“We are delighted to sign this agreement with Greenhead College to help raise student awareness about the climate and biodiversity emergency, and offer a practical hands on opportunity to make a difference to their local environment where they live and study.”

Greenhead College is seeking to recruit new external members to the Corporation, the overarching governing body. This provides overall responsibility for the College’s mission and strategic vision, ensuring that if it effectively managed with appropriate planning for future developments, overseeing financial sustainability and compliance, and maintaining high standards of educations. 

The College looks for someone who is open minded, interested in supporting the local community and someone who wants students to get the best from the education it provides. 

The role of a governor is unremunerated and will require attendance at six corporation meetings per year, as well as committee meetings and a strategy away day in November/December. 

Richard Armstrong, Chair of Corporation, said 

“This is a great opportunity for someone with a finance, audit or estates development experience wishing to support students in the Kirklees area. Greenhead College is an outstanding sixth form college, achieving the best A Level results for students across West Yorkshire, which is nationally recognised as one of the best A level Colleges in the North of England. We are seeking an external governor who has the skills, experience and desire to support the continued development of the College by joining the governing board of the College.” 

Liz Bowen, Head of English and Film and Staff Governor at Greenhead College also commented about her experience 

“Being a staff governor at Greenhead is insightful, intellectually stimulating and enjoyable. This is as a result of working collaboratively with talented, creative people drawn from a range of professional areas. It is a superb opportunity to make a difference!” 

If you are interested in applying for this role, please send over your CV to Sharon Roper, Clerk to the Corporation, at sroper@greenhead.ac.uk.

Greenhead College has appointed Mo Bunter as its new Principal, following a rigorous interview process.

Mo, who is currently Deputy Principal at the College, will begin the role in the new academic year and will be making history as Greenhead’s first ever female Principal appointment.

Since joining Greenhead College as Vice Principal in 2017, and subsequently promoted to Deputy Principal in 2019, Mo has showcased exceptional leadership and, as the College’s Ofsted nominee, successfully led the College through its latest Ofsted inspection where, once again, it was rated as outstanding in all areas and, this time, with no areas for improvement.

Continuing to uphold Greenhead College’s ethos of valuing and treating every person as an individual, respecting their needs and supporting their mental health and well-being is one of Mo’s top priorities for her role, alongside maintaining its position as one of the best performing Sixth Form College’s nationally.

Hailing from the North-East, Mo’s career in education began as a Teacher of Business and her previous endeavours include working as Interim Principal at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, Assistant Principal for curriculum and pastoral care, Senior Tutor, Director of Faculty and Head of Business Studies, demonstrating her readiness to take on her next step as Principal.

Commenting on her appointment, Mo said

I have loved the seven years that I have been at Greenhead College, and I am really excited for the next chapter in the College’s history. Being the first female Principal of the College is something that I honour and respect in all aspects of the work that I undertake, to ensure that Greenhead College continues to be the outstanding Sixth Form College of choice for young people in the local and surrounding area for A Levels.

Richard Armstrong, Chair of the Greenhead College Governing Body said

“We are delighted to have appointed Mo against a strong number of external candidates.  We believe Mo will continue the strong tradition of the College to support all students wishing to achieve their best for the future.”

We are thrilled to share that 27 students have successfully completed the Huddersfield Headstart Scheme with the University of Huddersfield, making us the largest provider of students completing this scheme for the second year running!

The scheme was designed to provide fairer access for those currently facing barriers and are underrepresented in Higher Education. Successful students benefit from developing HE-relevant skills including research, self-reflection and writing skills, will receive 8 additional UCAS points and are guaranteed an interview to study at the University of Huddersfield.

Well done to all of our successful students!

Find out more about our Believe and Achieve Scheme here: https://bit.ly/3S4yoeF

Find out more about Huddersfield Headstart here: https://bit.ly/3L7PWSD

#Success #Aspiration #Congratulations