Children's Mental Health Week 2023
This year's theme is 'Let's Connect' and we spent time helping the children explore how they can come together to help each other.
Year 2 read the book 'Everything is Connected' and used it as a stimulus for P4C discussion. To take a look at some of the questions they generated and their thoughts please click below.
Health and Wellbeing
Your child's wellbeing is very important to us! We believe that in order to be a successful learner, children need to feel safe, happy and confident to take on board new challenges and experiences.
Our Heartsmart curriculum is a creative approach that many primary schools use to build character, emotional health and resilience in children. We feel it equips them with foundational principles and skills that will improve their mental health, relationships and academic achievement.
For children who need additional support with their wellbeing, we offer the following three interventions;
ELSA (Emotional Support Assistant) Rebecca Bateman is our ELSA and she is trained to plan and deliver programmes of support to children who are experiencing emotional difficulties. The adult leads the session, teaching new skills and targets, outcomes and progress are reviewed regularly
TALA (Therapeutic Active Listening Assistant) TALA offers an emotionally safe and supportive space in which pupils can explore their feelings and experiences. They are heard by the practitioner on a deeper level using active listening. Our trained TALA is Mrs Langley who works weekly with children on an individual basis for about 30-45 minutes.
Drawing and Talking This is a child-centred one to one intervention focusing on supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. The technique is intended to allow the child to play, by drawing a picture, and process any emotions they are holding internally in a safe and nonconfrontational way, working at their own pace. Mrs Langley is our trained therapist who leads this intervention.
If you are at all worried about your child's mental health or wellbeing, do come in and speak to either your child's class teacher or Mrs Bateman or Mrs Langley. There are many ways we can support your child.
Your wellbeing as a parent or career is also important to us. Our Family Support Worker is Rebecca Bateman and you are very welcome to pop in to see her before or after school, or make an appointment for a different time.
Please see below a very useful resource to support mental health created by CAMHS.
The Good Mental Health Handbook
You may find the advice on the following link from the Anna Freud centre helpful and supportive for your own self care
Self care for parents and carers
If you are looking for some support with positive parenting at home, then do take a look at Hampshire's Primary Behaviour Service. They have put together some great advice for parents covering a range of topics and questions from sleep to positive parenting routines and much more. These are really useful guides with hints and tips. Hampshire Primary behaviour Website
Place2be is an organisation focused on improving children's mental health. They have a section for parents/careers and a wealth of resources to support both children and adults.
Young Minds is a mental health charity which has a website full of information and advice on what to do if you or your child are struggling with how you feel.
Keep Your Cool Toolbox gives parents and carers access to quick, effective ways to help young children better manage their emotions
