Mental Health and Wellbeing | Johnson Fold Community Primary School

The health and happiness of our children at Johnson Fold is our top priority and we recognise that mental health and emotional wellbeing are as vital to our lives as physical health is. At Johnson Fold Community Primary School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “In order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy.”

Children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and impacts on their learning and achievement.

“Short term stress and worry is a normal part of life and many issues can be experienced as mild or transitory challenges for some children and their families. Others will experience more serious and longer lasting effects. The same experience can have different effects on different children depending on other factors in their life.” (DfE 2018)

Intent

At JFCP we aim to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and to be a school where: All children are valued.

· Children have a sense of belonging and feel safe.

· Children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems without feeling any stigma.

· Positive mental health is promoted and valued.

· Bullying is not tolerated.

Implementation

Johnson Fold is a place where children experience a nurturing and supportive environment that can develop self-esteem and give positive experiences to help overcome adversity and build resilience. For some, school will be a place of respite from difficult home lives and so we offer the positive role models and relationships, so critical in promoting children’s wellbeing. This helps create a sense of belonging and community.

We will provide opportunities through our PSHE curriculum; work in circle time and key worker sessions, visiting speakers and agencies, for all children learn the strategies to stay mentally healthy; how worries and stress can affect their mental health; develop understanding and empathy of those with mental health issues, and knowledge of where or who they can go to if they need help and support.

We are a Nurture International School and offer a whole school approach to nurture and wellbeing with all classes using the same approach to developing and promoting positive mental health. We also offer short term wellbeing interventions using our Hamish and Milo programmes as well as daily support in our nurture room following the accredited Nurture International programme.

Impact

Our role in school is to make sure that our children are able to manage times of change and stress. The impact of the learning and support provided in school will ensure that children know:

· What they can do to maintain positive mental health;

· What affects their mental health;

· How they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues;

· Where or who they can go to if they need help and support.