Name: Ms Buparai

Role: Mental Health Support Worker

I am a qualified counsellor working as a Mental Health Support Worker at Smestow Academy. I deliver both one-to-one and group interventions focused on anxiety, emotional regulation, social skills, and self-esteem. I also lead the Student Wellbeing Ambassadors and actively promote mental health awareness across the wider school community.

I am deeply passionate about supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing and take a neurodiversity-affirming approach that recognises, values, and celebrates individual strengths and differences.

Outside of work, I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, walking, and visiting National Trust properties. I have training in complementary wellbeing practices and am currently training to become a yoga teacher. I enjoy yoga and wellbeing retreats and love travelling with my family and friends.

Name: Christine Stevens

Role: Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)  for Reflexions Mental Health Support Team - NHS Black Country Healthcare Trust

I am the link EMHP in Reflexions for Smestow Academy. I work closely with the mental health lead and mental health team in school to identify what support we can offer. I provide one to one CBT intervention sessions to students in addition to offering whole school approach activities to young people, parents/carers and school staff. This aims to increase access to psychological therapies and support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing. I really value that I am made to feel a part of the team at Smestow and I enjoy coming along to the different events that are held at school. From January 2026 I will also be attending school to provide monthly drop in sessions for young people alongside the school nurses.

Interesting fact: As well as being an EMHP I am also a forest school leader. I love to spend time outdoors and one of my favourite ways to relax is to cook meals for family and friends over a campfire.

Name: Miss Malhi

Role: School Counsellor

I joined Smestow in April 2023 after completing my Master’s degree. As the school counsellor, I am deeply committed to supporting pupils’ emotional wellbeing and mental health. I offer a safe and confidential space where pupils can talk openly about worries, challenges, and difficult experiences. My role is to help pupils make sense of complex emotions, build resilience, and develop healthier ways of coping, particularly during times when they may feel overwhelmed or unsure.

Before joining Smestow, I trained as a counsellor with the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, gaming and spending time with family.

As the second half term draws to an end it is time to celebrate those who have gone above and beyond in science. This term one pupil from each year group has been awarded with a certificate and prize for the most answered questions! Congratulations to Aleena, Oliwia, Alhareth, Layla and Victor for working hard this term! We also congratulate 11E1 for being the form with the most answered questions by answering 4409 questions 

Today we proudly held our third Mince Pies and Carols event! We are incredibly proud of all our wonderful performers who delivered a joyful celebration of creativity, talent, and community spirit. This special showcase highlighted the dedication and hard work our pupils have shown throughout the Autumn term, with their passion and confidence shining through every performance. A huge well done to everyone involved!

Next up on the Performing Arts calendar are High School Musical auditions — make sure you’ve signed up and don’t miss out!

Smestow were proud to support the "Orange Wolves" campaign which ended on 10th December.

Pupils wore orange ribbons to raise awareness of the campaign and support bringing an end to domestic violence against women and children.

Our personal development curriculum will be looking at relationships in the spring term as we educate our young people in the importance of respectful relationships.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

On 27^th November,  we were proud to host our 3^rd Culture Day here at Smestow Academy.  Culture Day originated from a School Council request 3 years ago and it is a day that our school looks forward to in the calendar!  

This year was bigger than ever with over 25% of our school taking part in wearing their cultural dress.  We also had lesson starters for each period of the day exploring cultures from Sri Lanka, LGBTQ+, Slovakia, Great Britain and Afro Hair, enabling everybody in our school to appreciate different cultures throughout the day.

There were dance and music performances with staff taking part too, along with a specially curated menu by our canteen staff, with a family recipe also featuring on the offer!

A huge thank you to all our staff and pupils for their fantastic efforts...what will 2026 have in store?!

We are very proud of how our students revise for their French assessments and exams at Smestow. Pupils are set revision homework on ClassCharts, with revision materials and knowledge organisers provided. Pupils then provide evidence of their revision as their homework. Below are examples of revision from pupils in 7X1. Well done to everyone in this class on a fantastic set of results. A special congratulations goes to Lara in Year 7 for scoring 100% on the ‘All about me’ assessment. Bravo, Lara!

Smestow Academy is proud to support "Orange Wolves" which is an annual campaign in Wolverhampton aimed at raising awareness about gender-based violence towards women and girls.  The campaign runs from 25^th November-10th December and encourages individuals, organisations and communities by wearing orange, sharing messages and attending events to support victims of violence.  It is part of the "Orange the World" initiative which aims to end violence towards women and girls globally.

Our students are joining young writers across the country as we shine a spotlight on creativity, self-expression, and the power of poetry. 

We are delighted to welcome poet Ayan Aden, who will be leading an inspiring poetry workshop with our Year 7 and Year 8 pupils this week. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their voices, experiment with language, and learn from a talented contemporary poet. 

Throughout the week, our pupils will be exploring poetry in new and exciting ways, taking part in creative activities, and sharing their own original work.

Stay tuned for highlights and student showcases as we celebrate the imagination and talent within our school community!
#YoungPoetLaureate #SmestowAcademy #AyanAden #StudentVoice #CreativeWriting #PoetryWeek

With FREE events across Wolverhampton over the weekend there is lots to do!

Especially exciting is ‘A morning with Onjali Q. Raúf – Stories That Change the World!’  On Saturday 7th February at Wolverhampton Central Library. Onjali Q. Raúf is the Author of ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ one of our 16 before 16 reading challenge books, this has been a very popular book in school and would be a fantastic opportunity for pupils to attend, full of heart warming stories and the real life global issues behind them.

This is a FREE event, but book early to guarantee your place!

A Morning with Onjali Q. Raúf – Stories That Change the World!

To find out about other Wolverhampton Literature Events for children and adults

Wolverhampton Literature Festival

#WolverhamptonLiteratureFestival