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. 

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 www.mentalhealth.org.uk  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. 

Heads Together  www.headstogether.org.uk  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. 

Place2Be www.place2be.org.uk  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. 

YoungMinds www.youngminds.org.uk  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.

MindEd  www.minded.org.uk  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. 

ChildLine www.childLine.org.uk  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.