After years as a secondary school teacher and Head of Department, one of our newest tutors, Jenna Green, shares why she chose a different way of supporting children through Emotionally Healthy Minds.
Why I Chose a Different Way of Supporting Children
After years as a secondary school teacher and Head of Department, I became confident in the academic side of helping children succeed. I knew how to plan lessons, mark assessment objectives, track progress, analyse data and help students achieve their target grades. Like many teachers, I cared deeply about the young people I worked with and wanted the very best for them.
But over time, I found myself drawn to something I had always instinctively believed: children learn best when they feel safe, understood and valued. In mainstream education, the pressure to prioritise curriculum coverage, attainment and measurable outcomes can sometimes overshadow the emotional needs of the child. These things matter but they are not the whole story. What I like about EHM is that emotional wellbeing isn’t treated as an add-on, it is the foundation everything else is built on.
When I joined EHM, I felt a huge sense of relief. There are no endless spreadsheets, no constant conversations about data, no pressure to prove a child was making “expected progress”. Instead, the focus is simply on the child and that shift felt incredibly powerful.
EHM understands something that many parents (and psychologists!) already know: children cannot learn effectively when they feel anxious, overwhelmed, dysregulated or unsafe. Before learning can flourish, children need to feel secure, understood and accepted. This philosophy sits at the heart of everything EHM does.
How Is Emotionally Informed Tutoring Different?
As teachers, we often work within systems that are driven by targets, attainment and accountability measures. While these things have their place, they can unintentionally overshadow the emotional needs of the child. At EHM, I like that we do not see children as grades or progress scores, they are seen as whole people.
The children I work with have experienced challenges in education. Some feel anxious about learning. Some have lost confidence in themselves. Others have SEND needs, or have simply reached a point where learning has become associated with stress rather than enjoyment.
My role as an EHM tutor is not to force learning but to rebuild trust by creating a safe, nurturing environment where children feel comfortable enough to take risks, make mistakes and discover that learning can actually be enjoyable again. When that happens, progress often follows naturally.
What Does a Typical Session Look Like?
Parents often ask, “What actually happens during a tutoring session?”
The honest answer is so far I have not had two sessions that look the same!
Sessions typically last around 50 minutes, but what happens during that time is guided by the child and their needs on that particular day. For example, a child might arrive excited and ready to tackle an English activity. The next session, they may need time to talk about something that happened at school before they can engage in learning. Sometimes children need movement breaks. Other learn best through games, creative activities, outdoor tasks or discussions centred around their interests.
What I love about EHM is that we try to adapt to the child—not the other way around.
Progress Looks Different Here
Coming from a school background, one of the biggest shifts for me has been redefining what progress means. Of course, we celebrate academic growth—seeing children develop academically is incredibly rewarding. But at EHM, progress isn’t about rushing children forward. It’s about meeting them where they are and helping them rebuild confidence at their own pace.
To me, progress might look like a child walking into a session without having to be met at the car due to extreme anxiety. It might be a child who previously refused to engage with a Maths activity, now choosing to have a go. It might be a young person beginning to believe in themselves again. It might be a child who finally feels safe enough to make a mistake.
This progress isn’t always measurable in the traditional data terms, but they often form the basis of meaningful learning.
Why I am Loving Working at EHM
At EHM, the emphasis is firmly on building relationships, understanding each child’s individual needs and creating an environment where they feel safe enough to learn. Working here allows me to do what I’ve always believed matters most: see the child before the curriculum.
That’s what makes EHM different and that’s why I’m proud to be part of it.
Could your child benefit from a different approach to tutoring?
At Emotionally Healthy Minds, we believe children learn best when they feel safe, understood and supported. Our tutoring combines qualified teaching expertise with an emotionally informed, child-centred approach.
Whether your child is struggling with confidence, anxiety, SEND, school-related stress or simply finding learning difficult, we take time to understand the child behind the learning and adapt our approach to their individual needs.
