Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing
We are proud to be a part of the myHappymind Family!
As a whole school programme grounded in science and dedicated to building positive mental wellbeing, myHappymind helps children understand how their brains work and creates a culture that helps to build children's resilience, confidence, and self-esteem. myHappymind also teaches the children how to self-regulate and manage their emotions in stressful times, allowing them to be their very best selves!
Learn more here: Home - myHappymind
Our myHappymind programme is delivered in 20-minute sessions in all year groups. It covers a range of aspects related to positive mental wellbeing and building resilience. The myHappymind modules are as follows:
- Meet Your Brain: Understanding how your brain works and how to ensure we look after it so that we can manage our emotions and be at our best. Growth mindset is a key part of this too.
- Celebrate: Understanding your unique Character Strengths and learning to celebrate them. This is a fantastic module for building self-esteem.
- Appreciate: Understanding why gratitude matters and how you can develop gratitude as a habit. Gratitude is key to well-being and resilience and we're all about making it a lifelong strategy!
- Relate: Understanding why positive relationships matter and how to build them. We're focussed on the building blocks of good relationships and friendships.
- Engage: Understanding how to set meaningful goals that matter and how to stay resilient in times of challenge. This module is all about building self-esteem and resilience too.
Part of the myHappymind programme is also that we have a Parent App - the code for this is shared with parents via their Google Classroom and allows you access to resources and signposting to support your child with their mental wellbeing. Here is the link to the Parent App Introduction video for more information: myHappymind Parent App Introduction - England & Wales
Other ways we support mental health and wellbeing in our school
The Thrive Approach
At Whitchurch Primary we have embraced a Thrive Approach within the school to support the social and emotional well-being of all our pupils.
It is the case that throughout a child’s life they can be faced with a number of challenging situations. When experiencing different emotions, not all children can put their feelings into words, however their behaviours can show us how they are feeling.
When these situations occur, most children respond with the care and support given by parents, family, friends and teachers. However, some children need a little bit of extra support.
The Thrive Approach enables us to support each child at their individual stage of development through the use of targeted strategies and activities. Allowing children to:
- Feel good about themselves
- Overcome difficulties
- Recognise their feelings
- Increase self-esteem and confidence
- Improve emotional wellbeing
Each term, all teachers complete a whole class Thrive assessment. The assessment is a selection of questions which highlights each child’s social and emotional skills and the confidence they exhibit. The results highlight children who are in need of extra support. A Thrive intervention is then put in place to support the child's development in the areas that have been highlighted. This program is reviewed each half term.
All Thrive sessions are designed to support each child at their individual stage of emotional development and include a whole range of activities including sensory play, arts and crafts, baking, and playing games. We also like to make the most of the school grounds and often explore the environment, go on sensory walks and go on treasure hunts.
ELSA
We have two Emotional Literacy Support Assistants who can provide an intervention for children who are struggling with an aspect of emotional, social or personal development. This intervention will usually last for 6 weeks and will then be reviewed. ELSA is accessed via a referral from the class teacher. If you are concerned about your child's emotional wellbeing, please speak to your child's class teacher who can then make a referral for possible ELSA sessions.
The Willow Room
The Willow Room is a calm, colourful, safe environment within the school where Thrive sessions are delivered in small groups. The Willow Room is also used as an alternative space for lunch when children find the lunch hall daunting and is used for a morning 'meet and greet' group for those who find coming in a challenge.
The Bee Hive
The Bee Hive is a space used primarily for Year R pupils - this can be for social skills interventions. This space is also used for interventions in speech and language, Language Link, phonological awareness, and Clever Bodies.
Keep Safe inputs
We plan and deliver keep safe inputs with the children on a termly basis. These inputs cover a range of aspects including safeguarding, how to report concerns, anti-bullying, road safety, online safety, and anything else that we think will support our children in feeling safe both physically and emotionally. These sessions sit alongside the curriculum for PSHE and ESafety.
Pupil surveys and pupil conferencing
Throughout the year, we carry out pupil surveys and pupil conferencing in order to 'check in' with our children and ensure that we are responding to any concerns or themes that come up. Our Safeguarding Governor also carries out pupil conferencing each half term to ensure our children are able to talk confidently about how they can keep themselves safe and well.
Parent support
If your child is facing particular challenges, there are things that we can support you to do at home as a first step. Below are copies of parent leaflets and signposting, that may be of use to you initially. Paper copies can be requested from the school office, as well as a listening ear.
Building Resilience: Building resilience in children and teens | Family Lives (Links to Family Lives website)
Anxiety in young children: Anxiety in young children | Family Lives (Links to Family Lives website)
Parent & Carer Health and Wellbeing: https://www.place2be.org.uk (Links to article on the loneliness of parenting: one person's perspective).
Video explaining the Early Help service: Family Support Service
Hampshire Healthy Families: Portal : Hampshire Healthy Families