At Wildmoor Heath School, we are committed to supporting the positive mental health and wellbeing of our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers).

We have a supportive and caring ethos and our approach is respectful and kind, where each individual and each contribution is valued.

We endeavour to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress and aim to ensure that they are supported to reach their potential or to access help when they need it.

We also have a role in ensuring that children learn about 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, and where they can go if they need help and support.

At Wildmoor, 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.

Teaching about mental health

At Wildmoor Heath School, we take a whole school approach to promoting positive mental health, aiming to help children become more resilient, happy and successful and to work in a proactive way to avoid problems arising.

We do this by:

• creating and applying consistent ethos, policies and behaviours that support mental health and well-being
• adhering to a positive, restorative approach to behaviour management
• helping children socially to form and maintain relationships
• helping children to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• teaching children emotional skills and an awareness of mental health so that they understand their emotions and feelings better
• promoting self-esteem and ensuring children understand their importance in the world
• helping children to be resilient learners and to manage setbacks
• identifying children who have mental health challenges and planning support to meet their needs, including working with specialist services, parents and carers
• supporting and training staff to develop their skills and their own resilience
• developing an open culture where it’s normal to talk about mental health

We promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
• promoting pupil-voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
• celebrating academic and non-academic achievements
• providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
• providing opportunities to reflect
• enabling access to appropriate support
• mental Health and PSHE/RHE for all year groups
• wellbeing Week/Kindness Week and access to information around the school
• our accreditation as a School of Kindness reflecting our involvement with acts of kindness within both the school and the local community

We pursue our aims through:

• universal, whole school approaches
• support for pupils going through recent difficulties including bereavement
• specialised, targeted approaches aimed at pupils with more complex or long-term difficulties including attachment disorder
• small group and individual support to focus on mental health, resilience and wellbeing

Whilst all staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health of students, staff with a specific, relevant remit include:

Key staff supporting Mental Health at Wildmoor Heath Primary School:

Mental Health Lead – Caroline Pratt

Named Mental Health Governor – Ean Lexton

Action Group: Colette MacManus, Aimee Joseph, Esther Dalton, Robyn Upton, Julie Weston