Renewed confidence: How our Enhanced Services supported Mirko
For many students, the social side of school can be as challenging as the academics. This was the case for Year 8 student Mirko, whose struggles with anxiety and social communication were holding him back from fully embracing school life.
He recently began online learning and has developed the confidence to actively participates in class discussions, runs errands independently, and feels able to speak in front peers.
His development has been remarkable, and according to Mirko’s mum Emanuela, the online Social Skills and Anxiety Management sessions have made a real difference. “[It] is just perfect. It’s a godsend,” Emanuela tells us, noting how the Social Skills and Anxiety Management sessions have “changed my son, for sure!” We spoke to Emanuela to find out how much Mirko has been able to come out of his shell since joining the programmes.
Our Enhanced Support programmes
Mirko initially joined two of our wellbeing classes. We offer a range of academic support and wellbeing mentoring courses, all led by expert practitioners. These include one-to-one counselling, mentoring, anxiety management, literacy and numeracy support and more. All of our support is overseen by a friendly and dedicated team, striving to support our students in the best way possible every day.
Mirko’s story
While Mirko had always flourished academically on his education journey, the social aspects of school had always proved more difficult. From communicating with classmates to handling the long school day.
Having previously accessed therapy through local services, Mirko’s family knew how valuable dedicated support could be. That’s what made our online Enhanced Support Services such a fantastic choice. .
Mirko joined our expert-led Social Skills and Anxiety Management courses: two multi-session workshops that focus on building confident communication and strategies for reducing anxious feelings.
“He is now tapping into those things he can use to help him cope in life. It’s brilliant. It’s been really good.” — Emanuela
“He absolutely loved it!”
According to Emanuela, Mirko loved every moment of his live sessions because he was learning so many skills that he could use in his daily life.
To his mother, the impact of the sessions has quickly become apparent, particularly in how Mirko handles emotional challenges. When faced with misunderstandings or difficulties (whether he’s communicating with his sister or processing complex emotions), Mirko is now able to independently apply the grounding techniques and other strategies he’s picked up. He then comes back saying, “I’m feeling fine now,” explains Emanuela.
This ability to self-regulate his emotions represents a significant milestone in Mirko’s development. While his mum notes that there are still challenges that he’s working through, the progress he’s made in remembering and using his toolkit of strategies the majority of the time has been incredible.
Transformative results
According to Emanuela, the Social Skills and Anxiety Management courses have given Mirko strategies he’s able to use around 98 percent of the time. She feels his daily life has been transformed. He’s able to navigate relationships more smoothly and is not experiencing as much anxiety as he was before; as a result, he’s no longer getting so angry or shutting down when faced with challenges.
Perhaps the most striking example of Mirko’s progress came during a recent trip to London Zoo — an activity he never would have done before, according to his mum. Emanuela watched with pride as her son confidently interacted with his peers in person.
Likewise, the growth in Mirko’s confidence has been wonderful. “He was so unconfident,” explains Emanuela, adding that he wouldn’t approach anyone without his mum’s support. “Now, he just goes to the shops by himself.” While going outdoors and handling tasks independently may seem small to some, families like Emanuela’s know just how big of a barrier they can be for anxious young people to overcome.
Mirko’s Enhanced Support courses have also given him opportunities to take his confidence to new heights. Mirko has also been studying online classes with our sister school King’s InterHigh. He was invited to act as an ambassador and speak in front of a group of people. At first Mirko was understandably nervous. But, despite his initial feelings, he practiced diligently and was able to speak with poise.
In the end, Mirko was ecstatic to have been part of the experience. You could really see the glow in him, from the pride he felt at speaking in front of everyone and the positive feedback he received afterwards, says Emanuela.
“I don’t know where it came from. I was like, ‘Who are you? Where did that come from?!’” — Emanuela
According to Emanuela, when Mirko first began online learning he was excited for a fresh start but still had to fight the challenges of his anxiety and social struggles. Now, things have flipped 180 degrees — rather than shying away from answering questions in class, he’s confident speaking on his microphone and participating.
“He’s gone from one end to another with his confidence,” says Emanuela, reflecting on the outstanding progress her son has made. “New identity, new little man, super confident, and very happy too.”
Written by
Academy21
Posted on
19/03/2025
Updated on
19/03/2025
Location
North West EnglandType
Students
