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    • Wellbeing

    At Silchester, we are committed to supporting the holistic needs of every child. We believe that good mental health and emotional wellbeing play a vital role in helping children to develop and thrive into happy, healthy adults. We understand that children’s mental health is influenced by a range of factors and recognise that schools are uniquely posited to play a protective role in promoting positive mental health.

    Throughout our school community, we seek to promote a shared understanding of mental health and wellbeing, as; “Children feeling good, feeling that their life is going well, and feeling able to get on with their daily lives” (Public Health England).

    We are committed to adopting a holistic, whole-school approach that promotes positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for our pupils, staff and parents/carers by:

    • Creating an inclusive and compassionate environment where all pupils, families, and staff feel supported, empowered, and emotionally safe; 
    • Building and nurturing relationships that enhance belonging and connectedness, so that every child feels they have trusting and supportive relationships with caring adults;
    • Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion to ensure that every child feels valued and has equal access to learn and develop the skills they need to thrive;
    • Knowing every child and as such being able to identify any mental health needs early, to help them in partnership with their parents/carers, to get the required support;
    • Helping all children to develop important social and emotional skills through our core curriculum teaching, behaviour/anti-bullying policies and restorative practice;
    • Promoting resilience by strengthening our pupils’ ability to problem-solve, self-regulate, self-advocate so that they feel motivated and supported to achieve their full potential, socially, emotionally and academically;
    • Cultivating empathy, kindness and respect to empower our pupils to grow into confident, caring, responsible individuals who are inspired to make a positive difference.

    To achieve this we:

    • Listen to our pupils’ views on mental health and use insights to shape our approach;
    • Promote building resilience in our pupils, who feel supported in their emotional learning and mental health, through our teaching and learning;
    • Develop our staff’s understanding of mental health and support them to recognise early signs/symptoms of emotional distress in children;
    • Partner with our parents/carers to support their own emotional wellbeing and recognise the role they have in supporting their children’s mental health;
    • Offer a graduated approach to more targeted support for pupils who may be experiencing mental health difficulties;
    • Promote respect, value diversity and talk openly about the importance of promoting emotional health.

    We offer the following universal support to equip our pupils with the skills and strategies to thrive socially and emotionally:

    • We use a common language to talk about our emotional self-awareness, expression and regulation (Zones of Regulation; Pupil Passports); 
    • We adopt a consistent emotional coaching approach to responding to children’s needs;
    • We offer a range of resources to help children during times of emotional dysregulation (Brain Boxes, Worry Boxes);
    • We dedicate collective worships to Wellbeing at least once a month (Bucket Filling);
    • We have a range of therapeutic spaces for children to access, including our Wellbeing Room;
    • We bring to life our “5 Ways to Wellbeing” approach, which encourages every child to look after their own mental health and to...: 
    1. Connect with others, building strong relationships and a sense of community
    2. Take Notice of the world around them, cultivating mindfulness and appreciation
    3. Be Active through regular physical activity and exercise
    4. Keep Learning new skills and hobbies to stimulate the mind
    5. Give to others, fostering a spirit of kindness and compassion

    We also offer a range of more targeted support for children who may be struggling with their emotional wellbeing. This may include 1:1 support and/or small group work and/or working with professionals to help children to understand and express their emotions; build trusted, nurturing relationships with adults and peers; and develop helpful coping strategies to build their emotional resilience and self-esteem.

    We encourage any existing parent/carer with a question or concern regarding their child's mental health to contact their class teacher. Our Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead, Mrs Jo Hunt, is also available should you wish to follow up with her directly via email j.hunt@silchester.hants.sch.uk or the School Office. 

     
     
     
     
     
     

    Links and resources:

    Hampshire CAMHS has ideas for supporting children and young people from an early stage through to referral: 

    https://hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk/help/parents-carers/ 

    Resources families might like to use from Hampshire Local Authority: 

    https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/publichealth/hampshirehealthineducation/keystages/primary

    Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families:  www.annafreud.org   

    Place2Be - ‘supporting your child's mental health’:  www.place2be.org.uk  

    YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/  

    Support available in Hampshire for adults: https://www.connecttosupporthampshire.org.uk/mentalhealth’ 

    Parenting support available: the-good-mental-healthhandbook.pdf &

    https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/childrenandfamilies/back-to-basics#notice-block 

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