Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Shakespeare Infant School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils, staff and community. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.
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 in themselves
- help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support- To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance developing resilience for all.
Additional support- For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.
Targeted support- For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or ELSA support
Lead staff members:
Sarah Kesterson: Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead and accredited Mental Health First Aider
s.kesterson@shakespeare-inf.hants.sch.uk
Jane Aslet: ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
This week I would like to focus on anxiety. The poster below shows some reactions that you may see if a person is anxious about a situation:
News
Children’s Mental Health Week 2020- Find your Brave
Children’s Mental Health Week 2020 took place on 3-9 February.
Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes and is different for everyone. Bravery can be about sharing worries and asking for help, trying something new or pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. Finding your Brave can build your confidence, self-esteem and make you feel good about yourself. Life often throws challenges our way.
Bravery isn’t about coping alone or holding things in. It’s about finding positive ways to deal with things that might be difficult, overcoming physical and mental challenges and looking after yourself.
We all have times when we need to Find our Brave.
Links to support Covid discussions
- Information for parents about talking with their children
- BBC news link with basic advice on how parents should speak to children
- Helpful, child-friendly information leaflet
- Dr Chris and Dr Xand explaining COVID on Newsround
- Dr Ranj from CBeebies talking about COVID
- Carol Gray has written a Social Story on COVID-19
Useful links
Nip in the Bud works with mental health professionals to produce short films and fact sheets to help parents, primary school teachers and others caring for and working with children to recognise potential mental health conditions. The goal is to increase the prospects of early intervention and to reduce the risks of those conditions becoming more serious in later years.
The films cover Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).
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.
https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/
Quality-assured information, advice and resources to help primary schools understand and promote children’s mental health and wellbeing.
https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/child-in-mind/
A series of expert podcasts to help parents understand and manage child and family mental health problems.
Mental health info and guidance
| 0800 1111 (free 24hr)
Confidential listening to support concerns and offer advice
samaritans.org | 116 123 (free 24 hr)| jo@samaritans.org
Confidential listening to support Mental Health and Wellbeing
Resources to move away from depression
https://www.youthaccess.org.uk
Young people’s infomation, advice and counselling
Essential support for under 25s
If parents or carers have any concerns about children’s mental health over the summer break, they should seek support.
You can find a list of support available in your area via the Youth Wellbeing Directory, or a list of helplines in this resource library.
You could also contact:
SHOUT - text ‘Shout’ to 85258 for 24/7 crisis text support
Childline - under 19 s can call 0800 1111 for free support
Education Support - school staff can call 08000 562 561 or text 07909 341229 for 24/7 help and advice
YoungMinds Parents Helpline - Call 0808 802 5544 for free Mon-Fri from 9.30am to 4pm
Yell & Tell - Safety 4 KidsYell and Tell! Read the team's safety tips for what you can do to help you whenever someone makes you feel unsafe. |
Safety 4 Kids is a non-profit organisation designed to help kids make better decisions about their personal safety.
https://www.safety4kids.com.au/safety-zone/stranger-danger/yell-and-tell
Keeping Safe around Strangers
