Mental Health and Wellbeing - Inclusion
Mental health and emotional wellbeing is an important part of school life for both children and staff. We are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our pupils, staff and parents to ensure that the school is a community where everyone feels able to achieve and thrive. Positive mental wellbeing is essential if children and young people are to flourish and lead fulfilling lives.
At our school, 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.
Our structures and practices consistently support all children’s wellbeing and mental health across the school community. We continually consider how children’s individual needs are met through a stepped approach, ensuring that practices are consistent for all children, whilst providing additional support for the most vulnerable children.
In school we have our Learning Mentor who works with different groups of children on developing social skills, confidence and are encouraged to become leaders in their own right by being part of the Pupil Parliament (school council).
Our Play Therapist and Art Therapist come in once a week to work with children who may be vulnerable, where parents have contacted the school with concerns about their children’s emotional health or where staff have identified that some intervention is needed through observations of the child.
Our partnership with West Ham now goes beyond sports as there are colleagues from the club who come into work with girls, their wellbeing and their aspirations for the future.
Our Edwardians programme has been running for a number of years specifically designed for boys and is a personal development programme. Its values, academics, service and aspirations strand in response to an identified gap in confidence, voice, engagement and recognition.
The ELSA intervention is run by our in house trained specialist and this provides a defined targeted tier within a graduated wellbeing pathway based on a specific social or emotional goal.
Our pupil led Wellbeing Committee has representatives from Year 1 to Year 6 who meet with the Senior Mental Health Lead every couple of weeks to discuss how wellbeing can be promoted in the school. They play an active role in generating ideas and speaking to their peers about important issues that they want to discuss. They work alongside our community wellbeing practitioner where they learn about the science and research behind mental health conditions and how our body responds when they feel anxious or overwhelmed.
Wellbeing and mental health has extended to our local community and Parish with the formation of our Wellsprings committee which consists of external specialists who work with our parents and children. A parent coaching programme is available which runs over six sessions and provides support for helping children be happy, confident and do well in all aspects of school and home life. As part of their offer Wellsprings also run pupil groups for personal development, inclusion, wellbeing, behaviour, attendance and the Catholic life and mission and participation in community so that children achieve and thrive.
Our Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Policy is available on our policies page. Some useful links for our school community are as follows:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/
https://www.elft.nhs.uk/services/newham-talking-therapies
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/parental-mental-health-resources
https://www.annafreud.org/resources/family-wellbeing/
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/parenting-and-mental-health/
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/support-for-parents-and-carers/mental-health