Wellbeing and Pastoral
Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Somers Park Primary School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers), and recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. All children go through ups and downs during their school career and some face significant life events.
Designated Mental Health Lead- Miss L Edkins
At our school we:
- help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- help children socially to form and maintain relationships
- promote self-esteem and ensure children know that they count
- encourage children to be confident and ‘dare to be different’
- help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
Below are some useful links
Mental Health Foundation UK charity dedicated to finding and addressing the sources of mental health issues. Includes information, research, resources and an invaluable A–Z of mental health terms.
A campaign to end stigma around mental health spearheaded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Heads Together aims to change the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing.
Telephone: 0207 923 5500 Email: enquiries@place2be.org.uk
Offers a range of counselling support for young people in schools helping them to cope with wide-ranging and often complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.
Telephone: 0808 802 5544 (weekdays 9:30am – 4pm)
The UK’s leading charity committed to improving emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people and empowering their parents and carers.
Free educational resource on children and young people's mental health for all adults. MindEd for Families has online advice and information from trusted sources and will help you to understand and identify early issues and best support your child. Also includes e-learning resources for professionals and volunteers.
Telephone: 0800 1111
Counselling service for parents, children and young people. It also offers multilingual services to South Asian communities living in the UK. Languages include Bengali/Sylheti, Gujurati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and English. Help and advice is free and confidential.
Trauma Informed Schools
TISUK- Trauma Informed Schools UK- is a nationally renowned programme that enables training on trauma and mental health concerns in young people. Miss Edkins has recently undertaken training to gain a Diploma in Trauma and Mental Health-Informed Schools and Communities: Practitioner status.
The training provided key insights into the psychology and neuroscience of mental ill-health and challenging behaviour alongside vital tools and techniques in knowing how to respond to a child’s narrative of painful life events. The knowledge gained will now enable us to have appropriate conversations with students showing empathy and attuning to their thoughts/feelings in order to validate what they may have been through.
As a school, we will now embed the knowledge with all staff over the coming academic year, enabling us to develop whole school cultures where well-being and being mentally healthy are the highest priorities.
PACE- playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, empathy
Our School Dogs
Josie often helps Mr Hansen inspect the school site before school
At Somers Park Primary School, we have a school dog who provides emotional and wellbeing support for the pupils.
The benefits on mental health through being around and stroking friendly dogs are well documented and we are fortunate to have a professionally trained dog, who has a perfect nature to be around children and our school, as part of our school team.
Josie, a golden labrador, comes into school two or three times a week and is very much a part of the community. She is based across both sites of our school, but predominently the Somers Park site.
Oonagh, a flat coat retriever, comes into the Malvern Vale site on a weekly basis.
A full risk assessment has been undertaken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all involved.
Learning Outcomes
- The value of pet therapy is widely accepted as a powerful aid to stimulation and communication.
- Studies have shown that the presence of companion animals can improve the wellbeing of children and lower anxiety.
- Therapy dogs will aim to make the environment happier, more enjoyable and less forbidding.
Permissions
The school community has been informed of the introduction of therapy dogs at Somers Park Primary School. Parents have been provided with the opportunity to make the school aware of any anxieties or allergies their child may have.
It is accepted that interacting with animals is not appropriate for all children but that for some it may have positive benefits. Any parent who does not wish their child to interact with the dogs is invited to inform school leaders.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Mr Hansen is the designated handler for Josie
- Miss Edkins is the second handler for Josie
- Mrs Birch is the designated handler for Oonagh
- Mrs Evans is the second handler for Oonagh
Dog Status and Context
Prior to being in school, both Josie and Oonagh have been professionally trained. Both are calm and obedient and have been risk assessed..
Josie and Oonagh are well known to the school staff and the pupils of the school.
Review
The risk assessment is reviewed annually and included within this is and evaluation of the impact that the therapy dogs are having on learning outcomes.