Educators

We empower educators with the knowledge, confidence and practical tools needed to support young people safely and compassionately. By equipping staff with clear guidance, trusted language and expert support, we help schools create cultures where well-being is prioritised and lasting change becomes possible.

Our support includes:

  • Staff training to build confidence in talking about suicide safely
  • Empowering Conversations, for schools and educators, providing a clear starting point for understanding suicide prevention and how it fits into everyday school life and RSHE curriculum delivery.
  • School Crisis and Bereavement Support following a sudden death or suspected suicide
  • Ongoing advice and resources to help schools support students, staff and families in both the immediate aftermath and longer-term recovery.

These situations are incredibly challenging. Having the right support in place makes a significant difference to how safely and sensitively a school community responds.

To learn more about how we can support you email our Education Lead – Jo Cakmak: joanna@theolliefoundation.org

Support for Educators

How we can support your school:

Empowering Conversations – Interactive Awareness Talk for Staff

This interactive staff workshop equips school staff with the confidence, language and practical tools to have safe and supportive conversations with students. Using real-life case studies, the session explores how to respond appropriately and use safety planning as a supportive tool.

Safeguarding and Mental Health: Supporting Staff with Confidence

This is a smaller, focused session for Senior Leadership Teams. These sessions provide a safe space to review and reflect on existing school policies by working through anonymised real-life scenarios. Together, we explore how current procedures would operate in practice, helping schools identify strengths in their approach and areas where policies could be strengthened or clarified.

REACH Suicide Prevention Awareness

This talk introduces the principles of suicide prevention and the importance of open, empowering conversations around mental health. REACH sessions can be delivered to school communities, including parents and carers.

These sessions combine to support schools to build a confident, informed and compassionate culture around student well-being, ensuring staff, families and young people feel better equipped to understand distress and seek support when needed.

To discuss your school’s needs, please contact OLLIE’s Education Lead – Jo Cakmak: joanna@theolliefoundation.org

Information and support

At OLLIE, we understand the challenges you face as an educator during difficult times. Whether supporting a student in crisis or dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy, we’re here to listen, provide guidance, and share our expertise. While not a crisis line, a direct phone call with us can leave you more confident in resolving the challenges you’re facing with compassion and care.

Together with Tooled Up Education, we have co-written a Guidance for Educational Settings Following a Suicide or Sudden Death. This guide is designed as a comprehensive, evidence based resource for your setting to turn to in the tragic event of suicide or sudden death in your community. You can use this resource to plan and inform a clear suicide response strategy or as a crisis document to refer to if needed. This is known as suicide postvention. Download your 90 page guide for free today.

Catch up on our school newsletters

We send a newsletter to all Hertfordshire schools every term. If you would like to download these newsletters you can find them all listed here.

Need a speaker?

Whether you are looking to inspire a year group to champion a charity or to launch a well-being week, The OLLIE Foundation can support your setting either virtually or in person with awareness talks or presentations, tailored to suit your needs. Please contact us for more information.

Fundraising for OLLIE

Arranging a fundraiser for a charity is scary yet exhilarating! You’re full of motivation to support an important cause and full of ideas of what you want to do, but where do you start? We want to make the experience as fun, positive and straightforward as possible, which is why we’ve created our fundraising packs. To download your digital fundraising pack or individual items, follow the link.

What stood out most from the morning was the warmth and respect throughout your delivery. It was clear how much care and expertise you brought and colleagues were completely engaged, listening to your every word. There were so many practical, thoughtful and supportive strategies shared that staff have already begun referencing in conversations.

Paul Kershaw, STAGS, St Albans