A 7-minute intervention for anxious students that actually works
How North Bridge House made wellbeing pupil-led
North Bridge House, Hampstead, June 2026
Background: Vanessa Waysome was watching her pastoral office get busier. More students were struggling with low confidence, disturbed sleep, and feelings of overwhelm, particularly around exam periods.
Vanessa needed something students could access quickly, without a referral, when they needed a moment to regroup.
She introduced Phase Space to Years 10 and 11 ahead of their GCSEs, watched how they responded, and expanded from there. First to Year 9, then to the whole school.
Vanessa put up posters, talked students through what to expect before their first session, and let word spread on its own.
Results:
A year on, Phase Space is used across Years 7–11. Students now walk to the pastoral office and ask for a session.
North Bridge House has seen improvements in attendance and exam confidence, and less staff time spent managing exam stress.
A Year 7 student with a SEN profile, who’d been struggling to come into school, went from a letter of concern about attendance in the autumn term to just two days off in the summer term.
“Now students come to me and ask if they can use the headset to give themselves a rest break and to regulate. Being pupil-led is key to its success.”
How one year 11 student reclaimed their exam season
Ark Isaac Newton Academy, Ilford, May 2026
Background: A Year 11 student arrived at GCSE season frozen by stress. Eight weeks of Phase Space later, they sat every paper and exceeded their targets in six subjects.
Predicted grades were strong, but their confidence was falling. They were sleeping badly, feeling sick before assessments, and freezing during mock exams, unable to recall revision they knew well. Pastoral staff had logged six support conversations in a single term.
ARK introduced twice-weekly Phase Space sessions over eight weeks, running through to GCSE season. The student came to 15 of 16 sessions.
Results:
Self-reported stress dropped from 9/10 to 4/10.
Attendance at optional revision sessions went from 30% to 80%.
The student sat every GCSE paper without walking out, compared to two walkouts during mocks.
They achieved or exceeded their target grade in six out of eight subjects.
“I still felt nervous before exams, but it wasn’t taking over everything. I felt more in control and could focus on the questions instead of panicking.”
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