Mental Health
Wellbeing Council Spring Newsletter
What is mental health?
We use the World Health Organisation’s definition of mental health and wellbeing, “ a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.
We all have mental health. Your mental health affects how you feel, think and act. It refers to your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Your mental health can change and fluctuate on a daily basis and over time can be affected by a range of factors.
At St Giles C of E Primary School, we strive to promote positive Mental Health and Well-being. This applies to the whole of our community – staff, pupils, families, school governors and other agencies who come into school. At St Giles C of E Primary School, one of our school priorities for this year is to raise the profile of all aspects of health education in both curricular and extra curricular opportunities for everyone.
We want all children/young people to:
- feel confident in themselves.
- be able to express a range of emotions appropriately.
- be able to make and maintain positive relationships with others.
- cope with the stresses of everyday life.
- manage times of stress and be able to deal with change.
- learn and achieve.
Staff are trained to be vigilant in identifying if people are worried, stressed, anxious, unhappy, scared or depressed. We encourage staff members to identify these feelings in themselves and seek help confidentially, with no stigma attached to this process.
We promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for everybody, and have a tailored PHSE curriculum to ensure that these skills are taught repetitively. Children have opportunities to debate and reason in a controlled environment and become confident when talking about their feelings and concerns. This is evident in our PSHE curriculum intent.
Wellbeing Policy
RHE Policy
We all have Mental Health – Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxIDKZHW3-E&t=8s
At St Giles C of E Primary, we do lots of things to help your wellbeing and your child’s wellbeing.
We have:
- A pastoral team with staff available for parents and children every day
- A trained Mental Health First Aider who is qualified in delivering activities to develop mental health and wellbeing
- Lego therapy groups to help children solve problems, reason, and work together developing social skills
- SALT therapist to work directly with children to aid communication, listening and attention skills
- Kidz Klub (2 staff) to support children in a 1:1 or group setting
- Worry boxes in classrooms for children to ensure they can speak about their worries
- A high quality planned PHSE curriculum, where all children are engaged in different PHSE activities to ensure they can learn about how to be safe, regulate their emotions and achieve
- A wide range of high quality PHSE resources for the children to engage with
- A well-qualified SENCO who liaises with different agencies to ensure children can feel good and access the curriculum – Behaviour support service, Occupational Therapists, Learning Support Service to name a few
- Wellbeing Wednesday Colouring Club
- Support on the website for families, signposted where necessary
5 Ways to Wellbeing
5 ways to Wellbeing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gJ5V525SCk
Research developed from the New Economics Foundation tells us these proven five simple ways can make a big difference to a child’s happiness and help build their confidence and resilience.
At St Giles, we are promoting these 5 ways in school.
Try and build these simple actions into everyday life as well.
1. CONNECT
• Take time to talk about feelings and listen
• Share mealtimes to talk about their day
• Find activities you can enjoy together as a family
• Encourage them to see their friends outside of school rather than by phone or online
2. BE ACTIVE
• Go for a walk, run, skip, cycle, swim, dance – whatever they may enjoy, indoors or outdoors
• Find a local group sport or activity they can join
• Exercise is a mood booster and a great way to feel good
3. TAKE NOTICE
• Take them out to a park, woods, the seaside or even a different part of the city or town so they can enjoy a varied environment
• Encourage them to notice how they are feeling and how they can process their emotions in a positive way
4. KEEP LEARNING
• Learning isn’t just for school. Encourage them to read ‘just for fun’
• Pass on skills like cooking, sewing, model making, photography and DIY so they know that learning can be fun
5. GIVE
• Help them to be kind, share and show interest in others
• Encourage them to do something nice for a friend, family member or charity
5 steps to mental wellbeing NHS
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is actually a perfectly normal human state – and despite its presence in the headlines as a major player in the mental ill-health of many people – it actually has its uses!
At moderate levels of anxiety, a person’s performance and attention to detail can improve. However, it becomes a problem when the feelings become more intense, last for a long time and begin to negatively impact on how well you can do things, your enjoyment of things and family life.
In general, stress and fear are seen as responses to specific, external factors, whereas anxiety is often internal and is usually concerned with what could or might happen. If you feel that your child is constantly anxious and doesn’t seem to improve with your support, it’s important to make an appointment to see your GP. However, there are some things you can do to support your child and this booklet goes through some of them.
The Importance of sleep
We all know that our sleep is important to us. It helps us regulate ourselves and to learn well. You might like to have a look at this information together and think about the importance of getting a good night's sleep!
Sleep hygiene – Great Ormond Street
Useful Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5QM6H01X6b3jTQF85GLgbFl/when-i-worry-about-things
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/