Wellbeing - Picknalls First School

At Picknalls 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:

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 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

Steph Fenton:	Wellbeing Champion, SENDCo
Nicola Shields:	Mental Health and Wellbeing Governor
Heidi Elsmore:	Mental Health and Wellbeing Governor

What is Mental Health?

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health.

Being mentally healthy means that:

we feel good about ourselves
we can make and keep positive relationships with others
we feel able to manage our feelings rather than feeling overwhelmed by them
we have interests or hobbies that we enjoy
we feel hopeful and positive about the future

Good mental health helps us to cope with life’s ups and downs. Sometimes it’s best to ask for support from others if we need it.

Examples of things that might harm our mental health are:

having friendship difficulties such as lots of arguments
feeling under pressure at school, such as during exams
feeling worried about the health of a family member
being bullied – in person or online

Things that can help keep children and young people mentally well include:

being in good physical health, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise
having time and the freedom to play, indoors and outdoors
being part of a family that gets along well most of the time
going to a school that looks after the well-being of all its pupils
taking part in local activities for young people

Some things that might protect and improve our mental health are:

having a close friend you trust, or a supportive friendship group
having a teacher or other staff member at school you can go to if you need help
enjoying time at home with your family
having hobbies or interests you enjoy taking part in;
eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep.

It is important to remember that, just as our mental health can suffer during difficult times in our lives, it can also recover.

What are we doing as a school to support children with their mental health?

At Picknalls First School our pupils can access the following provisions:

Nurture groups

are a short-term, focused intervention for children with particular social, emotional and behavioural difficulties which are creating a barrier to learning within a mainstream class – Nurture is important for the development of self-esteem and they achieve this by immersing students in an accepting and warm environment which helps develop positive relationships with both teachers and peers.

The HOPE Project

has been developed over the past five years and has positive outcomes for children that have an emotional need for support. The Hope project trains school staff to understand the mental health of young people and enhance their supportive, listening skills.

Malachi – Tier 2 Support for Families

Malachi are a not for profit, therapeutic family support organisation founded in 1991, working across the Midlands and Staffordshire. We support parents/carers, young people and professionals through a range of counselling based therapeutic interventions to create lasting change.

The Prefects and School Council

give our pupils the opportunity be more involved in their learning process and develop valuable personal and social skills such as listening skills and working with others.

Well-being Champions

The staff Well-being Champions meet several times a term to discuss how the provisions are working both for pupils and staff. They have developed a Mental Health Policy which you can download here.