Emotional Health and Wellbeing
 | We are delighted to have achieved Gold Status School Mental Health Award from the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools in recognition of our support for staff and pupil wellbeing. |
The mental health and wellbeing of children, staff and parents is fundamental to our inclusive and nurturing environment at Hart Primary School. We believe that positive mental health can have an impact on behaviour, attendance and attainment, as well as having a positive impact on a child’s later life.
It is our intent to support the mental health of not only our pupils, but of their families and of our staff, being a beacon of our local community and enabling all shareholders to achieve.
Signposting
Who can you talk to, and how do you go about this, if you have concerns about your own child or a friend of their child ?
Lead Members of Staff
Whilst all staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health of pupils. Staff with a specific, relevant remit include:
- Marie Crowe – Head of School, Designated Safeguarding Officer, Senior Mental Health Lead
- Sara Leighton – Wellbeing Lead, SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Officer
- Sarah Walker – Lead First Aider
- Caroline Pickles – Head of PSHE and RHE
Lead members of staff can be contacted via the school office on 01429 273283 or via our school email account info.hart@nllt.co.uk regarding any concerns or worries.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is 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. (World Health Organization)
Many people with good emotional and mental health are able to:
- be confident in themselves
- engage and interact with the world around them
- manage stress and change
- express their emotions
- play a positive role in their home and school
We aim to promote positive mental health for every member of our staff and pupil body. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches aimed at vulnerable pupils.
In addition to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, we aim to recognise and respond to need as it arises. By developing and implementing practical, relevant and effective mental health and wellbeing policies and procedures we can promote a safe and stable environment for pupils affected both directly, and indirectly by mental health and wellbeing issues.
Teaching about Mental Health and Wellbeing
The skills, knowledge and understanding needed by our pupils to keep themselves and others physically and mentally healthy and safe are included as part of our developmental PSHE and RHE curriculum.
The specific content of lessons will be determined by the specific needs of the cohort we’re teaching but there will always be an emphasis on enabling pupils to develop the skills, knowledge, understanding, language and confidence to seek help, as needed, for themselves or others.
PSHE/RHE
We provide a curriculum in which PSHE and citizenship are embedded. Our subject provision includes opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral and social cultural development, whilst strongly upholding and promoting our school vision and British Values. This in turn enables all children to develop an understanding of the ever changing world in which we live, develop the skills necessary to take an active role in their community and manage their lives safely and effectively.
PE
We aim to promote an ‘everybody active’ attitude amongst the children, where all pupils develop a keen interest in sport and are willing to partake in sporting activities. We aim to provide a variety of engaging lessons delivered by school staff and external bodies; deploy a wide range of teaching strategies and enter a good selection of competitions for the children across year groups. By doing this, the pupils further develop their confidence and self esteem when they are accessing P.E. lessons and when they are representing the school in sporting competitions. The pupils also continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of a wide range of sports, equipping them with the skills they need to access sporting activities.
Suggested Websites and Mindfulness Activities
If you are a parent or carer, it’s important you know how to look after the mental health of those you care for during this time. Here are some suggested websites and mindfulness activities to help.
Useful links
Re-think Mental Illness – Health Information for Young People
Time to Change – 1 in 10 Young People Experience Mental Health Problems
If you are worried about your emotional wellbeing, contact your GP. There is no difference between seeing your GP for physical health or emotional health issues, and they will be able to help you. You can go to your GP for help at any age. Anything you talk about is confidential and will be kept between you and your doctor.
Hartlepool’s Offer
In Hartlepool we are committed to improving children and young people’s mental and emotional health and wellbeing. We know that issues such as anxiety, low mood, depression and family breakdown, separation and loss can impact significantly on your happiness and future life chances.
With this in mind we are working with health, social care and education partners to implement and further develop the Local Transformation Plan (LTP) which is focussed on supporting all Hartlepool children and young people learn how to cope with the problems life throws at us from time to time, and where to gain additional help if you need it. To access the plan please click on the following link – Local Transformation Plan
As part of the work we have undertaken we have discovered some helpful ways of supporting you to look after your own wellbeing. The Ten Keys to Happier Living are based on a review of the latest research from psychology and related fields. Everyone’s path to happiness is different, but the evidence suggests these Ten Keys consistently tend to have a positive impact on people’s happiness and wellbeing.
