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 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 to ensure 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 our school 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 St Agnes’ 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 pro-active 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 about 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 for all year groups
• Wellbeing week and access to information around the school

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.
• Nurture groups to focus on mental health, resilience and wellbeing.

Staff roles and responsibilities, including those with specific responsibility

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 St Agnes’ Mrs G. Watson  (Mental Health Lead) Deputy Mental Health Lead – Mrs N. Pinnella Noble (SENDCO) 

Both Mrs G Watson and Mrs N. Pinnella Noble lead and work with all staff to co-ordinate whole school activities to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

• Work with the PSHE leader re: teaching about mental health.
• Provide advice and support to staff and organises training and updates.
• Liaise with mental health services and makes individual referrals to them.

Teaching about Mental Health

The skills, knowledge and understanding needed by our pupils to keep themselves mentally healthy and safe are included as part of our developmental PSHE curriculum. The specific content of lessons will be determined by the specific needs of the cohort we’re teaching but we will also use our PSHE/RSE curriculum to ensure that we teach mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in a safe and sensitive manner.

Targeted support

The school will offer support through targeted approaches for individual pupils or groups of pupils which may include:

• Circle time approaches or ‘circle of friends’ activities.
• Targeted use of SMHL resources.
• Managing feelings resources e.g. ‘worry boxes’ and ‘worry eaters’.
• Therapeutic activities including art, lego and relaxation and mindfulness techniques.
• The school will make use of resources to assess and track wellbeing as appropriate including:
• Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire
• The Boxall Profile

We will ensure that staff, pupils and parents are aware of what support is available within our school and how to access further support.

Early Identification and Warning Signs

All staff will be vigilant in identifying a range of possible difficulties that may be contributing to a pupil’s poor mental health, including:

• Attendance
• Relationships
• Approach to learning
• Physical indicators
• Negative behaviour patterns
• Family circumstance
• Recent bereavement
• Health indicators

School staff may also become aware of warning signs which indicate a pupil is experiencing mental health or emotional wellbeing issues. These warning signs should always be taken seriously and staff observing any of these warning signs should communicate their concerns with the designated child protection and safeguarding officer or the emotional wellbeing lead as appropriate.

Possible warning signs include:

• Changes in eating/sleeping habits
• Becoming socially withdrawn
• Changes in activity and mood
• Talking about self-harm or suicide
• Expressing feelings of failure, uselessness or loss of hope
• Repeated physical pain or nausea with no evident cause
• An increase in lateness or absenteeism

Assessment, interventions and support

All concerns are reported to the designated adults within school and needs are assessed through a triage approach with SLT, class teachers and SENDCO to ensure the child gets the support they need, either from within the school or from an external specialist service, as quickly as possible.