When educational & emotional needs overlap
Mental-health challenges rarely exist in isolation. They can affect concentration, confidence, attendance, and a child’s sense of self.
We help families understand what is driving the difficulty, what support is required, and how to rebuild a sustainable educational routine rooted in safety, trust, and gradual re-engagement.
Who We Support
We work with young people experiencing a wide spectrum of mental-health and emotional needs, including:
- Anxiety disorder and chronic worry
-
Depression and low mood
-
School refusal / emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)
-
OCD and intrusive thoughts
-
PTSD or trauma-related symptoms
-
Eating disorders (in collaboration with clinical teams)
-
Burnout, overwhelm, and chronic stress
-
Social anxiety and withdrawal
-
Students returning from hospitalisation, treatment programmes, or residential care
-
Co-occurring SEND needs where mental health impacts learning
Where needs are complex or evolving, we help families build a safe, sustainable educational plan that protects wellbeing while enabling progress.
Family Stories
Our Services
-
Mental-Health & Educational Assessment
We build a clear, joined-up picture of a young person’s needs — understanding how anxiety, depression, burnout, or emotional distress are affecting learning, attendance, and confidence.
This informs the right educational plan and ensures clinicians, schools, and families are aligned.
-
School Refusal & Reintegration Support
For students unable to attend school, we provide structured guidance to stabilise routines, reduce overwhelm, and plan a safe, gradual return.
Where reintegration is not yet possible, we help families secure suitable interim education.
-
Coordinated Support With Clinicians & Schools
We work directly with therapists, GPs, psychiatrists, and school teams to ensure a young person receives consistent care.
Our consultants translate recommendations into actionable educational steps, reducing pressure on families and preventing miscommunication.
-
SEND & EHCP Guidance for Mental-Health Needs
Many students with significant emotional difficulties require formal support.
We advise families on documentation, evidence, and pathways for SEN and EHCP applications, ensuring mental-health needs are accurately represented and appropriately provided for.
-
Secure Alternative Provision
When mainstream schooling is not viable — temporarily or longer-term — we help families identify safe, steady alternatives.
This includes high-quality home programmes, specialist tuition, or, where appropriate, placement at Lionheart School.
Testimonial
“It is really difficult in mainstream school if you are struggling, so to have that one-to-one tuition where tutors understood me and wanted the best for me was transformative.”
Isa Carr Former Lionheart Student
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Do you offer support online or in person?
Yes. Most families begin online for ease and privacy, but we also provide in-person support where clinically or educationally beneficial.
This may include home-based tuition, meetings in school, or sessions held at Lion’s Campus or another suitable setting.
-
What is Lion’s Campus, and how is it used?
Lion’s Campus is a dedicated therapeutic and educational environment in London designed to support young people experiencing mental-health or school-attendance difficulties.
For Lionheart families, it provides a safe, structured space for assessments, reintegration work, short-term stabilisation, and academic sessions when home or school is not appropriate. Its aim is to bridge the gap between treatment, recovery, and re-entry to education.
-
Do you liaise with schools, clinicians, and other professionals?
Yes. With parental consent, we coordinate with therapists, psychiatrists, GPs, SENCOs, and school safeguarding teams to ensure that support is aligned and consistent. Families often come to Lionheart to reduce overwhelm and establish clear, joined-up communication between all parties.
-
Can you help if my child is refusing school or has emotionally based school avoidance?
Absolutely. We assess the underlying causes, create a safe interim academic plan, and develop a reintegration pathway at a pace that protects wellbeing — whether the aim is a return to school, hybrid attendance, or an alternative provision.
-
Do you support students with diagnosed mental-health conditions?
Yes. We work with children and young people experiencing anxiety disorders, depression and low mood, OCD, PTSD or trauma-related symptoms, eating-disorder recovery (non-clinical), social anxiety, burnout, and prolonged stress. We also support students without a formal diagnosis who are struggling emotionally or academically.
-
What if my child needs a full-time alternative to school?
Lionheart can design and oversee bespoke alternatives including:
• personalised homeschooling programmes
• specialist tuition plans
• time-limited alternative provision
• placement at Lionheart School (where appropriate)
We also guide families through SEND and EHCP processes when mental health significantly affects access to education.
-
Do you provide mental-health diagnoses?
No. Diagnoses must be made by qualified clinicians (e.g., psychiatrists, clinical psychologists). However, we can coordinate assessments, interpret reports alongside educational needs, and translate clinical recommendations into an actionable educational plan.
