Section 1: Purpose and Scope

At ISH, we believe that wellbeing and inclusion are essential to academic success and personal growth. Student life brings both opportunities and challenges, and we are committed to supporting every student’s mental, emotional, and physical health. Our goal is to ensure that all students, regardless of background, ability, or circumstance, can access support, thrive in their studies, and feel part of an inclusive learning community.

Section 2: Key Principles

Our approach to student wellbeing is guided by five key principles:

• Accessibility: All students should be able to access support easily, in a clear and confidential manner.

• Inclusivity: No student should be disadvantaged or discriminated against due to a disability, mental health diagnosis, or personal circumstances.

• Clarity: Signposting and self-help options are centralised and consistent across communication channels.

• Partnership: Where we cannot provide direct support, we refer students to partner institutions’ wellbeing services or national providers (e.g., NHS, Student Minds, Tellmi).

• Confidentiality: All wellbeing-related communications are handled sensitively and in line with GDPR requirements.

Section 3: Areas of Student Support

Students should be able to access, or be directed to, support in the following areas:

• Mental health and emotional wellbeing

• Counselling and referral pathways (via partner services)

• Disability registration and study adjustments

• Financial hardship and funding support

• Support for care-experienced or estranged students

• General wellbeing and student life queries

Section 4: Supporting Wellbeing and an Inclusive Learning Environment

We recognise that student wellbeing includes experiences such as stress, anxiety, low mood, loneliness, and difficulties balancing study and personal life. Some students may also have specific mental health conditions or accessibility needs.

ISH provides a safe, inclusive environment that encourages early help-seeking and open discussion. Teaching, assessment, and curriculum design are flexible and accessible, with adjustments made where needed. Emotional wellbeing is supported through kindness, open communication, and respect in all learning spaces.

Wellbeing is also preventative: students are encouraged to connect, share experiences, and maintain healthy routines. Students are signposted to self-help materials, national services, and partner institutions for one-to-one support and referrals as required.

We continually review and improve our wellbeing provision by updating self-help resources, online information, and gathering student feedback to ensure support is accessible, clear, and responsive to emerging challenges such as digital learning demands or wider social and financial pressures.

Section 5: Self-Help Tools and Resources

Many students find self-help resources useful for understanding how they feel and learning coping strategies:

Tellmi

• Tellmi - anonymous peer-support app with moderated chat.

NHS

• NHS Every Mind Matters - wellbeing guidance, stress management, and personalised plans.

• Online Self-Help Guides - covering anxiety, low mood, sleep, and academic stress.

• Audio Guides - mindfulness and mental wellbeing audio tools.

Student Minds

• Student Minds - UK charity offering advice, stories, and resources.

Mind

• Mind - mental health charity providing guidance, information, and support.

• Self-Care Library - practical activities for wellbeing, mindfulness, and stress management.

• Wellness Action Plans - templates for planning and maintaining mental health.

British Red Cross

• Self-Kindness Guide - toolkit for building self-care and kindness habits.

• The Kind Place Podcast Series - free podcast series exploring lived experience, loneliness, and wellbeing.

• Wellbeing Music Playlist - curated playlist to support relaxation, mood, and wellbeing.

Section 6: Accessing Support

If self-help resources are not enough, students can contact their course team. Partner institutions’ wellbeing teams can provide one-to-one support and referrals. All discussions are confidential unless there is a serious risk of harm.

In urgent situations:

• Call NHS 111 (option 2)

• Contact Samaritans 116 123, or text SHOUT 85258

• Call 999 or go to A&E if there is immediate danger

No student should ever feel judged or disadvantaged for seeking help. Support is available in a safe, inclusive way.

Section 7: Moodle Wellbeing Section and Contact

To simplify access, we propose a dedicated Moodle wellbeing section containing:

• Curated self-help resources and links to national services.

• A student wellbeing form with fields including:
  – Name, Student ID, Date of Birth, Email, Phone

  – Area of support: counselling, hardship fund, care-experienced support, funding, disability registration, general wellbeing/student life

  – Optional description

Forms submitted via Moodle would be sent to ISH’s dedicated email ish@sportshumanities.org, allowing staff to review and direct students to appropriate support, including partner institutions or national services. This provides a clear, confidential, and centralised way for students to access help while keeping the process simple and manageable.

By combining accessible learning, trusted self-help resources, clear support pathways, and a centralised contact system, ISH ensures that every student has the opportunity to thrive. Support is available to help students succeed both personally and academically.