Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Elworth C of E Primary School we are committed to supporting and promoting positive mental health for our children, staff and families.
The culture and ethos focuses on the children showing themselves love, compassion and respect. This then positively impacts upon the children around them. This positive mental attitude is also expected in staff so that children can see our culture being modelled by their teachers and other staff in school.
We understand that everyone has difficulties in their lives and unexpected challenges to face and overcome. This makes us more vulnerable and, at times, we may need additional emotional support to ensure that our mental health remains safeguarded. Alongside parents, we recognise the role that Elworth C of E has to play in helping manage and support the children to develop their ability to overcome mental health challenges early to prevent escalation.
At Elworth C of E we are passionate about promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. We feel this is an area that every member of staff in school has a responsibility in promoting and demonstrating through role modelling responses and taking appropriate action to situations that could impact upon mental and emotional wellbeing.
At Elworth C of E we will aim to:
- Help children to understand and recognise their emotions
- Show empathy and compassion to others
- Help children to feel comfortable expressing how they feel
- Help children to identify trusted adults in school who they can talk to
- Help children understand social expectations and form healthy relationships
- Promote self-esteem and positive emotional wellbeing
- Promote individuality and to love themselves
- Help children to be emotional resilient and provide strategies to develop emotional intelligence
Important information for parents
You as parents play a vital role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of your children. It is important that you look out for the signs of mental health challenges starting within your children.
Potential warning signs for you to look out for could include:
- Changes in eating pattern
- Changes in sleeping pattern/sleep disturbances
- Changes in activity levels
- Changes in mood/behaviour
- Making inappropriate comments
- Talking about self in a negative or inappropriate way
- Talk of self-harm or suicide
- Expressing feelings of low mood
- Repeated pain and or nausea with no evident cause
- Increase in attendance issues
We ask that you try to implement support at home as the first step in early intervention. You could do this by:
- Incorporating mindfulness into your child’s day https://www.headspace.com
- Ensuring your child gets regular exercise (getting those feel good endorphins going!)
- Have a set bedtime routine where there is time for relaxation and winding down
- Using mindful colouring books/activities
- Using a worry book – writing down worries, ripping them up and then throwing them away
- Challenging intrusive thoughts (turn negatives into positives)
- Be calm yourself- we know this is easier said than done at times but your child will pick up on how you are feeling
- Use the Visyon website to sign up to some useful webinars https://www.visyon.org.uk/
- Take a trip to the GP for advice and further support
- Take a mindful walk- what can you see, hear, smell, taste, touch
- Do something you/your child enjoys
- If you can purchase resources such as ‘the invisible string’, starving the anxiety gremlin’, ‘ mindful monsters’.
Our Pastoral Team:
Sarah Buckley ( Assistant Headteacher - (Repsonsible for Pastoral Overview/ SENCo)
Sara Roberts ( Pastoral and Mental Health Lead)
Cara Marrow (Acorns Intervention Lead)
Tom Darby ( Physical Wellbeing Lead)
Cathryn Houghton (School Chaplain)