Mental Health & Wellbeing

At St Peter’s First School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.  

At our school, we promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
• Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
• Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements in order to promote self-esteem
• Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
• Providing opportunities to reflect
• Access to appropriate support that meets their needs
• Helping children to understand their emotions and feelings better and to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• Adopting the Zones of Regulations curriculum to support emotional literacy
• Helping children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks 

We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support - To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance, developing resilience for all.

Additional support - For those who may have short-term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.  

Targeted support - For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors.

Lead staff members to contact if you are concerned about your child’s mental health: Miss Dot Jones (SENDCO), Mrs Maida White (Headteacher).  Mrs Lisa-Lee Fisher (TIS - Trauma Informed Schools Practitioner), Mrs Sarah Humphries (ELSA – Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), Mrs Kerry Brooks and Mrs Louise Rutt (Nurture practitioners), Mrs Sam Pickering (Forest School Lead).

What do we currently do for mental health and wellbeing for our pupils and staff?

• We have a designated Mental Health and Well Being Lead in school that is responsible for promoting wellbeing for our staff and pupils (Mrs White).
• We have a designated trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), Mrs Humphries. We have wellbing practitioners (Mrs Brooks and Mrs Rutt), who delivers nurture groups for pupils, such as small group ‘time to talk’ social skills work, resilience skills, 'it’s good to be me' groups and 1:1 check in with pupils in liaison with our SENDCos (Special Needs & Disabilities Co-Ordinator)
• We have a Well-being Team made up of the following staff: Mrs Brooks, Mrs Rutt, Mrs Humphries, Mrs Pickering, and Mrs Fisher.
• In each class we have worry boxes for pupils to share their worries with a safe adult.
• We have nominated school council members in each class to represent their peers and gain feedback in class assemblies.
• We hold extra half-termly meetings for pupils who need more regular meetings to support their needs.
• We have Dojo for all teaching staff so parents can email concerns or worries.
• We have home/school communication books for pupil’s who require more regular updates.
• We have move up days, extra transition sessions and meet the teacher sessions for when a pupil is finding a class move difficult.
• We have an allocated buddy for all new pupils.
• We have a lunchtime drop ins for pupils to be able to chat/share their worries with an adult.
• We have mental health and wellbeing trained staff in order to support pupils with their needs.
• We have positive behaviour systems in place to promote positive social behaviour.
• We have mental health and wellbeing assemblies to promote resilience and self-management.
• We have a PSHE curriculum that helps pupils to build important life skills, such as learning to learn, habits of mind and the growth mindset.
• Our ethos is to promote supporting the development of skills and character traits such as perseverance, compassion and teamwork.
• We have a Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy for our school which is regularly updated.
• We include World Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in the school calendar and plan activities for the whole school.

Positive Experiences
St Peter’s School offers pupils many opportunities to do physical activities as well as opportunities to relax which both are ways to promote wellbeing and positive mental health.

• Lunch games to play outside during, including the Playpod, which promotes imaginative play
• Nurture Group
• Themed Days (Known as Big Days)
• Residential visits
• Educational day visits 
• Before and after school clubs

Celebrating Success
We like to celebrate our many successes together by:

• Posting achievements on Class Dojo to celebrate what is taking place
• Displaying pupil’s work
• Achievement Award Assembly each week
• Photos of achievements on our ‘Proud Cloud’
• Mrs Shields’ 'Hot Chocolate Friday'
• ‘Top Table’ lunchtime treat for pupils nominated by their class teacher
• Class Assemblies 
• School newsletters
• Dojo points and House points

Curriculum
The school follows the DfE guidelines for the teaching of Mental Health and Wellbeing in the following ways:

• Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) scheme of work
• Active Learning
• Assemblies and theme days

Interventions to support Mental Health and Wellbeing
Staff coordinate interventions for pupils mental health and wellbeing such as:

• Time to Talk Therapy
• Drawing and Talking therapy
• Trauma Informed Schools Sessions
• Self-esteem individual and group activities
• Bereavement Counselling
• Lego therapy
• Nurture Sessions
• Ginger Bear Program
• Story massage

Mental Health Support Teams
We are currently living through extremely challenging times, and now perhaps more than ever, looking after our mental health and well-being is of paramount importance to us all.

What do I do if I am worried about my child's mental health or wellbeing?

You can:

• Go to your GP as a first port of call as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services, or speak to a School Nurse. Referrals for the School Nurse service can be made both through your GP and through school. 
• Talk to your child’s class teacher or teaching assistant about your child's needs or your concerns.
• Talk to the school’s SENDCOs (Miss Jones) or Designated Mental Health and Wellbeing lead (Mrs White).
• Young Minds - The Parents Helpline is available to offer advice to anyone worried about a child or young person under 25. You may have questions about a child’s behaviour, emotional well-being, or mental health condition. You may have a child who's already been admitted to CAMHS and have questions about their treatment or want to know what to say to your GP when you visit them. Call 0808 802 5544 or visit the website.
• Early Help – children and family well-being service. https://professionalchoices.org.uk/eha/

Wellbeing Practitioners can work with children and young people (CYP) experiencing any of the following.

• Low mood                                                       
• Worry
• Generalized anxiety & social anxiety
• Panic
• Sleep problems due to anxiety/low-mood
• Simple phobias (excluding blood, needles and vomit)
• Stress management

For information and resources re: understanding and improving mental health and well-being, contact MIND. Tel: 0300 123 3393    https://www.mind.org.uk/

NHS Resources
Here are a few simple ways you can encourage your child to express themselves. Could you build on existing interests or passions? Think about what has helped them get through the past year. A love of dancing? Baking? Drawing? Fashion? Encourage your child by

 https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/- A public health England and NHS site to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others.

CAMHS
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

For more information, visit the website below

Guide to CAMHS (youngminds.org.uk)

CAMHS also have some excellent resources for parents:

DOWNLOADS | CAMHS Resources (camhs-resources.co.uk)