The M.A.S.T (Multi-Agency Support Team) professionals work together to deliver support for students, families and staff within school.  This can take the form of specific interventions, advice and guidance, signposting, professional development etc.

Through referrals from school staff, the M.A.S.T professionals will collaborate to deliver our B.E.A.M programme.  This is a multi-disciplinary approach including working with our families, staff in school and some wider professionals to identify barriers and work towards reducing them to allow students and families to thrive with the right support from the right people.

The B.E.A.M (Be Everything And More) Programme is a new initiative from West Lancashire Community High School.  The Programme has been designed to provide a holistic ‘wrap-around’ care plan that is centred around the student and their family to ensure they have the best support and care to overcome any barriers and allow them to thrive into adulthood.

 

‘A future where students and families thrive without barriers, supported by collaborative, person‑centred practice that champions equity, integrity, and meaningful change.’

 

    

Our Vision

Our vision is a system where every student and family feels heard, valued, and empowered, with barriers reduced and opportunities made accessible through inclusive, collaborative, and accountable practice.

We will strive to create and embed a culture of trust, integrity, and mutual respect, where lived experience informs meaningful action from the team. Inequalities will be actively challenged, and our students are prepared for successful adulthood, lifelong learning, and positive futures.

Our Ethical Values

    • Person-centred
    • Integrity
    • Transparency
    • Mutual Respect
    • Honesty
    • Solution focused
    • Accountability
    • Confidentiality

Our Principles

  • Being agents of change and advocates for all our stakeholders.
  • Working together to reduce inequalities and actively seeking ways to reduce barriers.
  • Being aware of and validating lived experiences.
  • Working together in the best interests of all stakeholders.
  • Accountability for all by taking responsibility for our actions, challenging ourselves, openly sharing information to protect our stakeholders.
  • Supporting our students to be prepared for adulthood and be ready for learning.
  • Being collaborative in our thinking and approaches to supporting all stakeholders.

Our Team

The programme is supported by a team of professionals with specialist knowledge in a range of areas who will work together to provide the wrap-around care that has been identified.

Our Contacts

  • Family Support and Welfare – Emma Thomson Lake

(thomson@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • Mental Health Senior Lead – Dave Mullen

(mullen@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • Highly Specialised Occupational Therapist – Judith Cookson

(ot@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • Highly Specialised Occupational Therapist – Angela McMahon

(ot2@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • Highly Specialised Speech and Language Therapist – Alison Fielding

(salt@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • Physiotherapist – Kaylie Fazackerley

(physio@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

  • MOVE and Moving and Handling – Louise Holcroft

(holcroft@westlancs.lancs.sch.uk)

 

All of the above in-house specialists will meet regularly to focus on our students and families with the greatest needs and devise a BEAM Plan that outlines the wrap-around care needed. 

We value our partnerships with our families and recognise that looking after our wonderfully diverse young people, can be challenging at times.  Often with nowhere to turn and overwhelmed with information, our families often ‘cope’.  We aim to provide a safety net of support that will allow families to be families and ensure the right support addresses the right needs.

The whole process works on mutual consent and building a string foundation of trust.  The B.E.A.M programme will allow us to be intermediaries with our partner agencies in Social Care or within the NHS.  We can become interpreters by jargon-busting information that can be overwhelming for young people and their families.  We can shine a light on agencies and information ensuring we signpost people to the right destinations.

Through the in-house specialists, we can identify needs.  These will often be wide and varied and based on individual and familial circumstances.

Speech, language and communication needs both in school and in the home.

Potential areas of support

  • Support with fine and gross motor skill development.
  • Support to identify mobility needs including sourcing appropriate equipment.
  • Support with speech, language and communication needs.
  • Support with expressive and receptive communication needs.
  • Support to access appropriate communication technology.
  • Support and signposting with housing and finance needs.
  • Support with low to high level mental health needs.
  • Functional and sensory needs assessments.
  • Support with health needs and health professionals.
  • Support to access social services or early help services for respite or direct payments.
  • Access to appropriate equipment in a timely manner.
  • Support with transitional information for P19 students.
  • Support with Emotional Based School Avoidance.
  • Support with behavioural presentations.

 

The list above is a snapshot of some of the barriers our young people and their families face daily.

We know that very often the thought of or the process of asking for support can be very overwhelming.  The B.E.A.M Programme aims to try and make the process of seeking advice and support easier and a collaboration.  Any member of the team will be willing to chat informally and discuss you needs and see how we can help you.