Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Clarborough Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff to ensure the school is a community where everybody has the opportunity to ‘Be the best they can be’. Positive metal wellbeing is essential if children and young people are to flourish and lead fulfilling lives. We want every child, staff member and family to feel happy, healthy and supported – both inside and outside the classroom.

At our school, 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 in order to promote self-esteem
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
Helping children to understand their emotions and feelings better and to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
Helping children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support (Wave 1) - To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance, developing resilience for all.

Additional support (Wave 2) - For those who may have short-term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.

Targeted support (Wave 3) - For pupils who need more individual, differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions including outside agencies

Lead staff members to contact if you are concerned about your child’s mental health: Miss Barbara Green (SENDCO and Mental Health Lead), Mrs Cowell-Clark (Headteacher), Miss Amy Johnson and Mrs Claire Gulsever (ELSA – Emotional Literacy Support Assistant).

What do I do if I am worried about my child's mental health or wellbeing?
You can:

Go to your GP as a first port of call as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services, or speak to a member of the Healthy Families Team. More information can be found on their website:

Healthy Family Teams | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

They also have a confidential texting service for parents and carers:

Text Parentline on 07520 619919

School can also support you in making a referral to this team

Talk to your child’s class teacher or teaching assistant about your child's needs or your concerns
Talk to the school’s Mental Health and Wellbeing lead (Miss Green)
Young Minds - The Parents Helpline is available to offer advice to anyone worried about a child or young person under 25. You may have questions about a child’s behaviour, emotional well-being, or mental health condition. YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds
Take a look at the links to the left:

Useful links

Some useful resources that you could use at home to support your child’s mental health are below:

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/- A public health England and NHS site to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others.

Young minds parents’ survival guide:

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-survival-guide/

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families:

Mental Health And Wellbeing | Anna Freud

Place2Be Parenting Smart:

Place2Be: Parenting Smart: Articles

NSPCC:

Signs That a Child Is Suffering From Mental Health Issues | NSPCC

BeUNotts:

Be U Support | Free Mental Health Service for Children and Young People

NottAlone:

Mental Health Support Services For People In Nottinghamshire | NottAlone

The Sleep Charity:

Home - The Sleep Charity

Stormbreak:

home I stormbreak CIO

HealthforKids:

https://www.healthforkids.co.uk/grownups/healthy-minds/

Useful Booklets/Publications:

The Anxious Child Booklet for Parents
10 key areas to happier living poster

Parent’s Guide to Childhood Anxiety - Knowing the symptoms, how to talk to and support your child with anxiety:https://tutorful.co.uk/guides/the-expert-guide-to-help-your-child-with-anxiety

CAMHS

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

For more information, visit the website below:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

CAMHS also have some excellent resources for parents:

DOWNLOADS | CAMHS Resources (camhs-resources.co.uk)

Bereavement
If you have suffered a bereavement and feel that school can support, please do contact us.
NHS bereavement support
Winston’s Wish

Grief support:

Home SUPPORTING BEREAVED CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE - Grief Encounter

Books to support Bereavement:

Dogger – gentle intro to discussion for very young children
Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley (particularly useful if an older person has died).
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
Tattybogle by Sandra Ann Horn
Muddles, Puddles & Sunshine by Winston’s Wish – an activity book.
Vicky Angel by Jaqueline Wilson (a friend’s death, for older children)

We have copies of some of these books in school that you can borrow.