Oliver’s Story

When Oliver was facing challenges at home and at school, he started attending sessions with a counsellor funded by the school’s Opportunities Fund.

Oliver was often violent at home, lashing out at his mum and, on one occasion, running away causing a police search. He was struggling with classwork and his behaviour at school had become increasingly difficult. He often ended up in arguments and fights with other pupils.

Despite the weekly ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) sessions at his primary school, and his parents attending a parenting course, there was little change in Oliver’s behaviour. He continued to lash out and ran away from home again.

Using the Opportunities Fund provided by Walton Charity, his school was able to fund a series of one-to-one sessions with a counsellor specialising in children’s behaviour.

Oliver is now managing his emotions and frustrations much better at home, and is building a better relationship with his mum. His school has also seen a significant improvement in his behaviour, with no incidents at all reported during the Autumn term. The school and his parents are proud of how he has turned things around.

Walton Charity awards Opportunities Funds to local schools to help families with the cost of school uniforms, equipment, activities and specialist support.