Currently embedded in independent schools across London.
Structured counselling provision, 11+ wellbeing programmes, and pastoral consultation, delivered by experienced therapists who understand the culture and frameworks of independent education.
“I would recommend KST without hesitation. In recent years, it has been one of our most impactful pastoral strategies, significantly enhancing the wellbeing of both staff and pupils across the school.”
Designated Safeguarding Lead · Independent Prep School, London
“A student’s regulation difficulties were leading to her being labelled a ‘bully’ within the year group. With therapeutic support from KST, there has been a marked difference in her demeanour both in and out of the classroom. There have been no further incidents and her self-esteem has recovered.”
Same respondent
KST operates as an embedded clinical partner within school, not as an external referral service. We are specialists in both Prep Schools and Upper Schools, supporting children throughout their time in independent schooling, from early primary through to senior years. We integrate into existing pastoral structures, maintain dual safeguarding reporting, and carry all governance, insurance and clinical oversight independently.
Individual, weekly in-school counselling during the school day. Child-led, paced carefully, and shaped around developmental readiness. Sessions take place in a private, dedicated space and are delivered within a clear clinical governance framework.
Learn moreProfessionally facilitated, small-group emotional support delivered in school across the academic year. Designed for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils meeting the particular pressures of the 11+ year. Not tutoring. Not therapy. Structured therapeutic group work. Because a group reaches a whole year group at once, the support lands across the entire cohort, not only the children already known to pastoral staff.
Learn moreReflective consultation for DSLs, SENCOs, Heads of Year and SLT. A professionally boundaried space to think carefully about complex pupil presentations, safeguarding considerations, and the systemic dynamics that pastoral staff carry.
Get in touchA digital parent support hub, written and updated by therapists, shaped around your parent community. Refreshed each half-term. Currently in partnership with Kensington Prep School. Sits naturally alongside embedded counselling, or stands on its own as a parent-facing resource.
Learn how partnership worksSchools can commission embedded counselling, 11+ wellbeing groups, and pastoral consultation independently or in combination. We work with both Prep Schools and Upper Schools, supporting children throughout their time in independent schooling, and we have experience implementing both payment models described below.
Parents contract and pay KST directly, either per session or by Direct Debit. The school carries no financial responsibility. KST manages all payment administration, consent documentation and invoicing directly with families.
Schools commission KST directly, either by the hour or at a fixed fee for a half-day or full-day embedded presence. This model suits schools wishing to offer provision to all pupils or where a per-parent billing arrangement is not appropriate.
Whichever payment model you choose, KST manages all clinical records, consent documentation and communication with families. Schools are not required to administer the service.
KST holds professional indemnity insurance, DBS compliance, clinical supervision and all governance documentation. Schools receive assurance without overhead.
We currently operate both models within different independent schools. We can advise on which approach suits your school’s culture, size and pastoral structure.
Many of the schools we speak with already have counselling in place, whether an employed counsellor, a visiting therapist, or a wellbeing lead who carries far more than the title suggests. We are rarely there to replace that work. More often we sit alongside it, taking pressure off a single pair of hands and widening what the school can offer without unpicking what already works.
One counsellor can hold only so many children at a time. When the list grows faster than the hours allow, we add parent-funded capacity alongside your existing provision, so a child who needs weekly work is not waiting a term to begin. Parents contract and pay KST directly, and the school carries no cost and no billing.
When your counsellor is on leave, between contracts, or simply stretched, the children already in the room still need continuity. We provide clinically governed cover for a defined period, holding the existing work carefully and handing it back cleanly when your own provision resumes.
A counsellor working inside a school needs a supervisory space that sits outside its line management, as their ethical framework requires. We provide independent clinical supervision for your employed counsellor: a confidential, boundaried hour that supports safe practice, protects the school, and meets BACP and NCPS expectations.
Our 11+ wellbeing groups reach a whole year group at once, meeting the shared pressure of the assessment year in a way one-to-one sessions are not designed to. They run alongside your counsellor’s individual work rather than competing with it, and free scarce individual hours for the children who most need them.
Counselling sessions take place during the school day in a private, dedicated space. Sessions are weekly during term time, typically 30–50 minutes depending on age and developmental stage. Early sessions focus on helping pupils feel safe, settled and understood. There is no pressure to talk before they are ready.
We work in close liaison with your Designated Safeguarding Lead while maintaining appropriate confidentiality. Clinical records remain securely held by KST in line with GDPR and safeguarding legislation.
Current partner schools include Connaught House School (embedded counselling since November 2025 under a formal service agreement) and Kensington Prep School (where Sam McManus runs the 11+ Wellbeing Support Groups and The Parent Book partnership).
Kensington Square, W8 · Connaught Square, W2
Sessions are weekly during term time in a private space provided by the school
Child-led and paced around developmental readiness, with no predetermined agendas
Focus on emotional wellbeing, confidence, relationships and coping with challenges
Written parental consent obtained before any counselling commences
Termly service reviews with the school, supporting oversight without breaching confidentiality
Clear transition support when pupils move on or leave the school
Pastoral and safeguarding staff hold significant emotional and professional responsibility. Our consultation services are designed to support the people who support pupils , offering a therapeutic lens, clarity in complex cases, and a consistent collaborative presence throughout the year.
A professionally boundaried space to think carefully about complex pupil presentations, systemic dynamics, and emotionally challenging situations. Not evaluative supervision. Collaborative and practically grounded.
Regular open drop-in sessions for any member of staff with concerns about a pupil’s wellbeing. KST therapists are available to discuss presentations, offer psychological insight, and advise on appropriate referral or support pathways.
Close liaison with the Principal, SENCO and SLT regarding whole-school pastoral themes, individual case complexity, and the emotional environment of the school. Termly service reviews provided to support governance and oversight.
Structured therapeutic consultations for parents, available as part of the embedded service or as a standalone provision. Psychologically informed, professionally boundaried, and designed to ensure coherence between home and school without compromising trust.
A therapist-written parenting library, refreshed every half-term, configured for your school’s year groups and pastoral structure. It does the editorial work your team does not have time to do well. The same writing that parents would otherwise pay £129 a year for, included in your partnership and branded to your school.
Calm, considered, therapist-written. Not a stock newsletter. Not a generic blog. Parents come back to it through the week, and forward chapters to other parents in the year.
The chapters answer the questions your team is fielding by email week after week. SLT reclaims hours each half-term that would otherwise go to bespoke parent communications.
A pastoral lead can send a parent one specific page after a difficult conversation about exam pressure, friendship, sleep. Five minutes of reading the parent can hold. Shared language for the next conversation.
Year groups, gender mix, pastoral roles, and the conversations actually happening in your community. Not the same content licensed to every school. One school, one edition, refreshed each half-term.
Written and overseen by qualified BACP and NCPS therapists. Anchored to NHS guidance, the Anna Freud Centre, and statutory frameworks. The clinical line is clear, and your DSL has sight of what parents are reading.
Your school’s edition lives at a private, branded address you share with your parent body. It is intentionally not a public catalogue. Parents arrive through a link from you.
KST operates under a robust clinical governance framework maintained independently of the school. Every element of compliance, data protection, insurance and safeguarding oversight is carried by KST.
Professional indemnity & public liability cover (minimum £5,000,000)
Dual safeguarding: KST DSL working in conjunction with your school DSL
Independent data controller status, encrypted records
Minimum clinical record retention or until age 25
Safeguarding concerns are reported immediately to both the school’s DSL and the KST DSL, with dual internal logging for governance, quality assurance and oversight. KST maintains regular DSL-to-DSL communication with each school throughout the year.
Every school partnership begins with a conversation about your context, culture and current provision. KST does not offer a fixed template. We shape the model around what your school needs and what your community will benefit from most.
We understand the particularities of independent school culture. We respect ethos, operate within governance frameworks, and maintain the professional independence that good clinical work requires.
We discuss your school’s pastoral context, current provision, and what you are looking for. No obligation. No template. A genuine conversation.
We agree the scope of provision: embedded counselling, 11+ groups, pastoral consultation, or a combination. Whether you are a Prep School, Upper School, or both, the model is shaped around your needs. We also agree the payment pathway at this stage: school-funded (hourly or fixed half-day/full-day fee) or parent-funded (parents pay KST directly per session). Both are currently in operation across different KST school partnerships. Start dates, session days and referral pathways are confirmed at this point.
A formal service agreement is signed by both parties. This covers safeguarding obligations, data protection, personnel requirements, and confidentiality boundaries. All documentation provided by KST.
Pupils may be referred by the school with parental consent, or parents may approach KST directly having been made aware of the service by school. In either case, written parental consent is obtained before any counselling begins. KST provides school-specific parent information guides and consent documentation. Where the parent-funded model is in use, KST manages payment setup directly with families. Where the school-funded model applies, this step covers session scheduling and family communication only.
Counselling commences. Termly reviews keep the school informed at an appropriate level. The relationship develops as the school’s needs evolve.
All enquiries are handled personally by Sam McManus, Director of KST. We aim to respond within one working day. Fees and partnership scope are discussed during the initial conversation, so we can shape the right model for your school’s culture, size and pastoral structure.