Mental Health & Well Being

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Strategy

 

 

Named mental health lead at Ferrars Junior School:

• Alison McDade – Deputy Head, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Inclusion Manager including SENDCO, Mental Health Champions and Mental Health First Aider
• Karen McCullagh – Family Worker, Deputy Designated Safeguarding lead, Mental Health Champions and Mental Health First Aider

 

Who contributed to this strategy?

• Alison
• Karen
• Change Team
• Senior Leadership Team
• Governing Body
• Ferrars Staff Team

 

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing at our School

Definition of mental health

 

“Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” World Health Organisation

 

“Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It effect how we think, feel and act” Mental Health.gov

 

In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it.

 

We believe that everyone at Ferrars has a responsibility to promote positive mental health, and to understand about protective and risk factors for mental health. Some children will require additional help and all staff should have the skills to look out for any early warning signs of mental health problems and ensure that children with mental health needs get early intervention and the support they need.

All members of staff are aware of the possible risk factors that might make some of our children even more likely to experience problems, such as physical long-term illness, having a parent who has a mental health problem, experienced bereavement, including loss of friendships and family breakdown. 

It is everybody in our school’s responsibility to remain vigilant when they notice a change in a pupil or adult’s behaviour and interactions. Where this is a concern, all members of staff, both in the classroom, and in the wider school, report this immediately to a member of the safeguarding team and after doing so, complete a ‘CPOMS’ entry. 

 

Why do we need this strategy?

Our Pupils

At Ferrars Junior School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (pupils, staff, parents and carers), and recognise that mental health and emotional wellbeing has the same importance as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can impact upon their learning and achievement.

Our role in school is to provide a safe environment where we support our pupils to become more resilient and manage times of stress, change and upset.  Our role is to support our pupils in their understanding of what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health, and what they can do for themselves when they are experiencing a particular emotion.

Our aim is to create a safe environment where:

• All Pupils are valued
• Pupils have a sense of belonging and feel safe
• Pupils are able to communicate and feel listened to
• Positive mental health is promoted and valued.

 

Our Staff

In addition to children’s wellbeing, we recognise the importance of promoting our staff’s mental health and wellbeing.

We recognise that our staff are our most important resource and are valued, supported and encouraged to develop personally and professionally.

We recognise that there is a direct link between the wellbeing of our staff and the wellbeing of our pupils, and that the culture and values of our School are determined by the extent to which staff work towards our vision.

At Ferrars, we believe that it is essential that all staff feel part of a supportive and valued team, have the opportunity to express their views and are supported to manage their workload within a culture that supports a healthy work-life balance.

Our aim is to create a safe environment where:

• All staff are valued
• Staff are supported to keep a healthy work-life balance
• Positive mental health is promoted and valued
• We recognise and promote the importance of a happy team
• There are effective methods of communication
• Times of stress are addressed and staff are supported through it

 

Our Parents and Carers

At Ferrars, we believe that it is essential that all parents and carers feel part of a supportive and valued community and have the opportunity to express their views and feel confident that they are being listened to.

Our aim is to create a safe environment where:

• Parents and carers are key to understanding the child and this is supported
• Parents and carers are encouraged to learn from each other and build support systems with other families
• Parents and carers are supported to build resilience, particularly during times of transition or additional stress
• They feel valued members of our school community
• They feel that they are actively involved within their child’s education and ‘Ferrars journey’
• They feel able to come to us for support
• They feel listened to and that their voice is heard.

 

How do we support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our whole school community?

We take a whole school approach to promoting positive mental health that aims to help our children to feel supported, heard, accepted, valued and empowered.

To enable us to achieve this, we….

• Have engaged the whole school community to share a Ferrars Vision, which supports mental health and resilience, and is understood by everyone.
• Help our children and young people to develop their communication skills to be able to have their own voice and choice.
• Help our children and young people to be resilient learners.
• Teach our children social and emotional skills and an awareness of mental health – this is achieved through the Zones of Regulation, individual and small group sessions.
• Have established our own Wellbeing Team who provide support to pupils in need of additional support across the school.
• Have established a wider network of support consisting of an Educational Psychologist, Behaviour Consultant, School Nurse and CAMHS practitioner to support early identification of children who have mental health needs.
• Engage with our parents and carers.
• Support and train staff to develop their skills and their own resilience.

 

We also recognise the role that stigma can play in preventing understanding and awareness of mental health issues. We therefore aim to create an open and positive culture that encourages discussion and understanding of these issues.

 

How do we support our pupil’s wellbeing?

At Ferrars, we believe that emotional wellbeing education is a priority across the school.  It is explicitly taught through several different areas on the curriculum, for example our PSHE programme, Jigsaw. It is also modelled every day, in all that we do at Ferrars, evidenced in staff, children and parental relationships.

At Ferrars, some of our pupils find it difficult to express their concerns and feelings. In order to try to assess the wellbeing of a child, we need to take a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach that considers aspects such as observations, past history, and a reliance on information from third parties, including teachers, staff members, parents and social workers who know the pupil well. 

With this in mind, we have a Wellbeing Team consisting of:

• Alison McDade – Deputy Head, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Inclusion Manager including SENDCO, Mental Health Champion and Mental Health First Aider
• Karen McCullagh – Family Worker, Deputy Designated Safeguarding lead, Mental Health Champion and Mental Health First Aider
• Jane Herdman – Family Worker Assistant

 

 

 

 

Our Staff Wellbeing Offer:

How do we support our staff’s wellbeing?

 

 

 

Staff are responsible for:

• Treating one another with empathy, respect and kindness.
• Taking care of their own health and safety at work and communicating with key staff where they need support.
• Being committed to the ethos of staff wellbeing and keeping in mind the workload and wellbeing of colleagues.
• Valuing all members of staff in the school and acknowledging the important role that everyone takes.
• Contributing to the ethos and social aspects of school life where possible to build morale and effective team spirit.
• Developing and respecting shared areas where possible so that there is space to relax as well as appropriate work spaces.

 

Our Parents and Carers Wellbeing Offer: MORE COMING SOON!

 

How do we support our parents’ and carers’ wellbeing?