Even though it only officially opened this March, the Willow Hub has been in the works for nearly four years and has been in use for the past two. Aaron Cawley, our Head of Wellbeing, saw an opportunity to create a space dedicated to bettering the mental health of schoolchildren after the closing of the Worksop College School Shop. Being an Old Worksopian himself, and due to his own experiences with mental health from his time here, Aaron is very passionate about wellbeing and mindfulness.

Camila Gutierrez Fierro is our first Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, who has worked alongside Aaron for the past two years towards the betterment of the school. John Price, Headmaster of Worksop College, believes that if children are happy, they reach their full potential, which goes hand in hand with Worksop College’s idea of ‘educating the whole person.’ With this initiative, the mental health of each pupil is prioritised in Worksop College’s holistic approach to education.

With the introduction of the wellness programme, there have been many improvements to pupil life. The average level of anxiety in state schools is 27%, with independent schools averaging 19%. Worksop College has the lowest level of pupil anxiety in the country, with a 4% rate. The Willow Hub has been a massive contribution to this, with 17% of all pupils having sought help from the centre. The introduction of STEER, a mental health tracking questionnaire, is also taken by pupils each term to regularly check up on their wellbeing. In each pupil planner, and on posters throughout the school, there are QR codes linking to forms that allow them to confidentially ask for help. Once a form is submitted, the average response time is four days - in comparison to CAMHS, which takes at least four weeks just to process an application.

The process of building and renovating the wellbeing centre was largely done by Aaron and supported by pupils. In Aaron’s words, it was a ‘hot summer and the passion of young people’ that truly allowed this to happen. On wellness retreats, with the first one taking place in 2022, pupils helped take down wallpaper, remove wood panels, and install the flooring of the Hub. Even the plaque for the Willow Hub was designed and handmade by Max Poynor, an Old Worksopian. This truly shows the school-wide effort behind the creation of the Willow Hub, with Aaron and the pupils having quite literally built it from the ground up.

The event itself was a beautiful celebration of everything the Hub represents. The sun shone for us while visitors gathered in front of the Hub, enjoying a glass of fizz and chatting with like-minded people. We heard moving and emotional stories from Aaron Cawley, whose vision it was to lead this initiative, as well as from pupils who have utilised the Hub and understand how vital it is to their school experience.

The Hub was ceremonially opened by Lisa Booth, who works in NHS Nottinghamshire Mental Health Services and has been incredibly generous with her time and expertise. She cut the ribbon around our new willow tree to officially declare it open!

Suri May, Year 13