Mental Health and Wellbeing

Intent

At Redhill Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff.

We have a supportive and caring ethos and our approach is respectful and kind, where each individual and contribution is valued.

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.

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 ensure children know that they count.
• 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 We pursue our aims through:
• Universal, whole school approaches
• Support for pupils going through recent difficulties including bereavement.
• Specialised, targeted approaches aimed at pupils with more complex or long term difficulties including attachment disorder.

Objectives

• To promote life skills across the curriculum so that pupils will learn about mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.
• To ensure that the good health, wellbeing and mental health of all who work in this school is promoted effectively
• To ensure that the school has a wide range of appropriate policies and strategies in place to ensure that the good health, well-being and mental health of all and that they underpin everything that we do.

Strategies

• We will appropriately promote the health, wellbeing and mental health of pupils across the subjects of the curriculum taking account of their age and stage.
• Staff will help pupils to acquire the relevant knowledge and understanding of the human body and how it works and of the social and emotional factors that influence health.
• To have a Senior Mental Health Lead (Mr. Andrew Wright) and link governor for mental health with responsibility for the oversight of this policy and strategy for ensuring the mental well-being of all in this school.
• All staff will encourage pupils to make informed choices and take appropriate decisions to help ensure that they understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle that also promotes good mental health.
• We will foster links between school, home and community and appropriate outside agencies so that all are involved in a collective responsibility for promoting good health and good mental health.
• We will pay attention to the six areas of health and wellbeing across the curriculum, these will include mental, emotional, social and physical and spiritual wellbeing; planning for choices and changes; physical education and physical activity and sport; food and healthy eating; the dangers of substance misuse and relationships and parenthood.
• We will ensure that the curriculum, homework, testing and assessment and teaching and learning strategies take account of pupils’ well-being and mental health.
• We will provide safe and healthy working conditions for all in school.

Outcomes

Redhill is committed to promoting and maintaining the good health and wellbeing, and mental health, of everyone here and we will work together with parents and the local community and appropriate outside agencies to enable pupils to make healthy informed choices and to promote the health, mental health and well-being of all.

Key Points and Principles

At Redhill Primary School we recognise that we have a central role to play in enabling our pupils to be resilient, and to support good mental health and wellbeing.

• Education about relationships, sex and health are important vehicles through which we can teach pupils about mental health and wellbeing.
• A consistent whole school approach is essential to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.
• School staff cannot act as mental health experts and must not try and diagnose conditions. However, there are clear systems and processes in place for identifying possible mental health problems.
• As set out in chapter 6 of the statutory SEND 0-25 years Code of Practice 2015, school needs to be alert to how mental health problems can underpin behaviour issues in order to support pupils effectively. Staff also need to be aware of the duties under the Equality Act 2010, recognising that some mental health issues will meet the definition of disability.
• When staff suspect a pupil may have a mental health problem, they must use the graduated response process (assess-plan-do-review) to put appropriate support in place. There are a tools in school to support with this, such as the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Boxall Profile, which can support in this process.
• It is important that staff at Redhill have an understanding of the local services available, including the School Nurse, as well as national organisations. The school’s Designated Lead for Mental Health will work closely with the SENCO in order to ensure that the list of local services available remains up to date.

Our School Environment

At Redhill Primary School there is a mentally healthy environment where children:

• have opportunities to participate in activities that encourage belonging (e.g. Community time, SECRET to our Success)
• have opportunities to participate in decision making (e.g. SECRET to our Success, Class Council and School Council)
• have opportunities to celebrate academic and non-academic achievements (e.g. school assemblies, SECRET to our Success)
• have their unique talents and abilities identified and developed ( e.g. Extra-curricular clubs)
• Have opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others. (e.g. residentials, school trips, SECRET to our Success Showcase)
• have opportunities to reflect (e.g. Assemblies and Community time)
• have access to appropriate support that meets their needs (e.g. TA support in class or support from Key Worker)
• Are surrounded by adults who model positive and appropriate behaviours and interactions at all times.
• Have a right to an environment that is safe, clean, attractive and well cared for.

At Redhill Primary School there is a mentally healthy environment where staff:

• have their individual needs recognised and responded to in a holistic way
• have a range of systems in place to support mental well-being e.g. performance management, briefings, training
• have recognition of their work-life balance
• feel valued and have opportunities in the decision making processes
• success is recognised and celebrated
• are provided with opportunities for CPD both personally and professionally
• can access support and guidance at times of emotional need in both the short and long term, provided by the school counsellor and Occupational Health.

At Redhill Primary School there is a mentally healthy environment where parents and carers:

• are recognised for their significant contribution to children and young people’s mental health
• are welcomed, included and work in partnership with the school and agencies
• are provided with opportunities to ask for help when needed and signposted to appropriate agencies for support
• are clear about their role, expectations and responsibilities in working in partnership with the school (e.g. home school agreement shared annually, Parents Meetings)
• Opinions are sought, valued and responded to (e.g. Questionnaires.)
• strengths and difficulties are recognised, acknowledged and challenged appropriately

Lead Members of Staff

Whilst all staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health of students, staff with a specific, relevant remit include:

• Andrew Wright – Senior Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer and Assistant Head teacher
• Nicola Miller – Head teacher and Designated Safeguarding Officer
• Anthony Cicinski - Deputy Head teacher, Anti-Bullying and Online safety co-ordinator and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer
• Sarah Buck – Mental Health and Wellbeing Link Governor

Our Mental Health Lead;

• Leads and works with all staff to co-ordinate whole school activities to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

• Provides advice and support to staff and organises training and updates.

• Is the first point of contact with mental health services and makes individual referrals to them.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead

If you have any questions about how mental health and wellbeing is promoted across our curriculum, or if you would like to access support for you or your child, please feel free to get in touch with Mr Wright either through Class Dojo or by contacting the school office.