Mental Health and Well Being

At Millfield Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and well being of our pupils, parents / carers and staff.

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 and ‘dare to be different’
help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

Our lead teachers for Mental Health and Well Being are:

Miss J Holden and Mrs H Geobey (SENDCO)

Teaching Mental Health and Well Being

We know it is important to find, and practise, positive ways of thinking as this helps to build resilience, wellbeing and a positive mental health. Research has found that taking action in the following five areas can promote a positive mental health and wellbeing. These areas help children and families nurture their own.

Each week at school, we use the 5 Ways to Wellbeing to support and promote the importance of our mental health and wellbeing. On Wellbeing Wednesdays, each class takes part in a different activity to promote one of the five ways.

The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are:

Give
Connect
Keep Learning
Be Active
Take Notice

Click here to see activities and ideas you could do at home to support and nurture your own mental health and wellbeing as a family.

Brilliant Schools

We also use The Brilliant Schools programme. This is a service for schools, enabling access to high-quality wellbeing lessons and courses for staff, pupils and parents. Brilliant Schools is a great resource to develop wellbeing across the whole school community. They introduce themes of happiness, wellbeing, flourishing, resilience, positivity and personal responsibility. We will keep you informed and up to date with any live events suitable for you as parents and carers to take part in on our newsletter and school jotter.

Family Support

There are some excellent online resources available to help parents / cares and their children with mental health, including:

MindEd, a free educational resource from Health Education England on children and young people’s mental health
Rise Above, which aims to build resilience and support good mental health in young people aged 10 to 16
Every Mind Matters, which includes an online tool and email journey to support everyone to feel more confident in taking action to look after their mental health and wellbeing
Bereavement UK and the Childhood Bereavement Network, provide information and resources to support bereaved pupils, schools and staff

Barnardo’s See, Hear, Respond service, provides support to children, young people and their families who aren’t currently seeing a social worker or other agency, and who are struggling to cope with the emotional impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).

You can access via the ‘See, Hear, Respond’ service self-referral webpage or Freephone 0800 151 7015.

It is also vital to report any safeguarding concerns you have about any child. Contact the NSPCC helpline.

Mental Health and Well Being News

Friday 20th October 2023