David Perridge
Head of Staff Development and Outreach
MSc, NPQH, ILM L7 Executive Leadership Coach and Mentor, MHFA Facilitator, and NLP Trainer
Among the foundations upon which the success and effectiveness of West Heath has been built, are the sharing of knowledge and expertise, and a commitment to the ongoing development of our staff, as both professionals and as human beings. To be able to provide the support and guidance that our students need and deserve, requires not just that we equip staff with the skills and knowledge necessary for their roles, but that we actually do what it is we ask our students to do. That is to say, we challenge ourselves to stretch comfort zones, to take risks, to be open to our vulnerabilities.
We recognise that while there are elements of what we do that are excellent, and in the parlance of our industry, outstanding, there are even more things for us to learn and to do better. Our intention therefore in developing our Outreach provision, is to humbly share aspects of our experience and practice which will have resonance and value to others, and to simultaneously be open to what we ourselves can learn from the process.
Hopefully, the content of this website and the links to other resources it contains, will be of interest, and even help to you. It may also be that aspects of the training and support that we are able to offer, will be something that you want to explore. Our commitment is to work with others, identifying if and how what we can offer can be of benefit to children and young people, be it directly or more indirectly through those who support them. No doubt this is an intention shared by you too. So, if you think there’s something that we may be able to support you with, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Dr Mimi Kirke-Smith
Head of HEART and Therapy
BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, CPsychol
My experience as a Child and Adolescent Chartered Psychologist has been gained over 20 years working both in clinical settings and a wide range of primary and secondary schools. Having held various roles at West Heath (spanning 14 years in total), I currently head up HEART which includes both our therapy team and our specialist mental health department.
In addition to this, part of my time is devoted to supplying an outreach provision in the local community. This includes staff training, conducting assessments/observations on children who are struggling in school, running therapeutic group sessions, and providing general advice to parents.
As well as my role at West Heath, I am an occasional guest lecturer and a consultant on several external research projects. I have presented my own research at a number of UK and European conferences, and I am also a published author in both national and international publications.
