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Wellbeing and mental health

We may see mental health as a spectrum.  Just like physical health, mental health is something we all have.  It can range across a spectrum from healthy to unwell.  It can fluctuate on a daily basis and change over time.

Every day of our lives, we are all somewhere on this spectrum. While everyone’s experiences are unique, and many people won’t fit neatly into the four headings used in the spectrum, they can be generalised as:

  • Healthy: enjoying mostly good mental health.
  • Coping: facing significant risks to mental health but not currently in difficulty. This may include people coping with loss or bereavement, financial difficulty, or relationship problems.
  • Struggling: dealing with major life challenges and at high risk of becoming unwell. This might include having experienced a major trauma or ongoing high levels of adversity.
  • Unwell: experiencing poor mental health, such as being given a diagnosis of mental illness that is currently causing significant distress and impairment. It is, however, possible for a person living with a mental health diagnosis to be at any point on the spectrum.

At our school we:

  • help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
  • help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
  • help children socially to form and maintain relationships
  • promote self-esteem and know they can count on people to help them
  • encourage children to be confident and ‘dare to be different’
  • help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks.

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
  • 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.

Senior Mental Health Leads at our school

We have two teachers trained to be Senior Mental Health Leads, Becky Roberts (AHT, DDSL and Yr5 teacher) and Jane Rawson (SENCo).  Two Teaching Assistants have been trained as mental health first aiders.

 

Play Therapy

We are very fortunate to have a Play Therapist working in our school:

  • Play TherapyPlay Therapy is a type of therapy where play and art materials are used as the main way for people to express themselves. Using play in therapy helps people to express themselves in their own way; especially if they are struggling to understand how they are feeling, or are finding it hard to put their experiences into words. Play Therapy can be a particularly helpful approach for children in need of therapeutic support.

ELSA and Drawing & Talking

  • Information about ELSAELSAs are Emotional Literacy Support Assistants working in primary and secondary schools. They are Teaching Assistants who have received specific training from Educational Psychologists from whom they receive on-going supervision following training. Their role is to support children and young people in school to understand and regulate their own emotions, learn to respect themselves and others around them and develop their personal resilience. We do not seek consent from parents for ELSA as it is part of our universal offer, although class teachers will communicate with parents regularly about the needs of their child.

  • Drawing and TalkingDrawing and Talking enables school staff to assess the social and emotional skills of children quickly and effectively, ensuring they can respond in the right way. Targeting support and action plans can be put in place almost immediately, with tailored strategies and activities that meet the needs of the individual student. Embedding Drawing and Talking ensures all staff know what to do in response to pupils’ distressed behaviour, that is often communicating varying and complex social and emotional needs. We do not seek consent from parents for Drawing&Talking as it is part of our universal offer, although class teachers will communicate with parents regularly about the needs of their child.

We understand that there is increased concern amongst parents and other groups on the effect that the use of mobile phones and social media have on the mental health of children and young people.  We have a policy which covers the use of mobile phones by pupils in our school.  Please see the policy 'Online Safety Policy Guidance Acceptable Use in our Statutory Policies section of this website.

Transition and Growth Mindset

  • TransitionFor many of us, the start of a new school year is an exciting time and a great opportunity to start afresh on focus on your goals for the year ahead. For some pupils, the pressure to adjust to all of the changes that they are experiencing, develop new friendship groups and adapt to new routines can feel overwhelming and can have a detrimental impact on their mental health and wellbeing. The good news is, there are some simple strategies that you can implement today to support children through this time. Read the linked article to find out how to support children through the transition period: All change! Growth mindset for transitions. With the right support, those that are struggling can learn to flourish in new environments and take on new challenges with self-assurance and positivity.

  • Primary Online Safety - Teachers and ParentsThe BBC have curated a host of videos and articles incorporating ideas and advice to help make the online world a kinder place. Each of these collections have been mapped to the Education for a Connected World framework set out by the UK Council for Internet Safety. Pages contain downloadable resource documents with lesson ideas, discussion points and potential homework activities.

  • Safer Internet DaySafer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. Each year they cover an online issue or theme that speaks about the things young people are seeing and experiencing online. Created in consultation with young people across the UK, this year Safer Internet Day will be focusing on the issue of scams online and for young people, how to protect themselves and others, as well as what support is available to them.

Safe from Harm - Guidance to help manage self-harm and increase safety in the home.

Other Useful Websites for Help and Support:

  • Growth MindsetAround five students in a class of 30 experience mental health issues. It's important that the adults around them teach them the tools to develop emotional resilience and create safe and supportive spaces where children are seen and heard and feel that they belong. A great way to start is by teaching a growth mindset.

  • CAMHS - Parent webinarsThe School In-Reach team is holding several webinars for parents over the coming year. These awareness sessions contain useful information about how to support your child with some of the commonly seen emotional and mental health concerns.

  • NHS - CAMHS - AnxietyFeeling worried and anxious is a completely normal part of life and very common. But if anxiety starts to get on top of you, then it can affect your mental health. You’d expect to get nervous or anxious before an exam or if you’re moving school or if something a bit out of the ordinary happens that you may be fearful of. Anxiety is a natural part of the ‘fight or flight’ reaction.

  • Place2Be - Improving Children's Mental HealthWe provide mental health and wellbeing services to parents and carers in our partner schools to help contribute to a whole-school approach to mental health. Mental health and wellbeing services for parents and carers with a child at our partner schools is split into universal and targeted services.

  • Oxfordshire County Council - Mental WellbeingWhere to get help, information and support for suicide, self-harm, mental health and wellbeing. This page contains a pretty exhaustive list of what is on offer for a range of mental health supports in Oxfordshire.

  • ShoutShout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. Text 85258.

  • Anna Freud Crisis Messenger.If you need support, you can text AFC to 85258. A free, confidential, 24/7 text message support service for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling to cope.

  • Social Media - what the law saysMost of the popular social media services require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13. The age requirements are there because of data protection laws. Online services are not allowed to collect or store children’s personal information if they are under the age of 13. Data protection laws also say that only children aged 13 and over can sign up to online services without parental permission. Following the age restrictions sets a good example for your child. Although the age requirement doesn’t always mean the site is inappropriate for children to use, it’s a good indication, especially for younger children.

  • Sensory ProcessingAll activities in life (from sleeping to writing) involve some degree of sensory stimuli. Sensory stimuli includes everything in our environment e.g. objects, light, sounds, colours, wind, rain, other people, clothes, smells (the list is endless). The primary function of the human brain is to process, interpret and then choose the appropriate response to the sensory stimuli we come into contact with every day.

  • Mental Health FoundationOur articles talk about body image, loneliness, sleep issues, male mental health, and many more topics around supporting good mental health and preventing mental health problems. These articles aim to give you tips and advice on how to look after your mental health or how to help others with theirs.

More Resources

  • Beacon HouseBeacon House is a specialist, innovative and creative therapeutic service for young people, families and adults. With a special interest in working with individuals of all ages who have experienced trauma and loss, we are passionate about offering safe and effective therapies in a way that enables people to re-build their lives following stress and adversity. We also take pride in supporting individuals and teams to develop their trauma informed practice through training, supervision and consultation.

  • Beacon House training medleyChallenging behaviours and mental health issues can be understood as the individuals best adaptations to their life experience. This is a snapshot of what Beacon House have created as pre-recorded online training. To find out more visit www.beaconhouse.org.uk/training

  • Beacon House - Sensory MemoriesA look at how sensory memories are made, told through the story of baby James. Please note there are themes of neglect and abuse spoken about within the clip. This is an extract taken from their Developmental Trauma training. Our full training can be found at www.beaconhouse.org.uk/training

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