Mental Health & Wellbeing
We have an extensive pastoral care programme utilising specialists and school staff to support our children and community. Positive mental health and well-being remains at the forefront of our approach.
Our Mental Health Lead is Ms Clarke who closely works with Ms Lim, our Inclusion Lead. They are both trained Mental Health First Aiders and work alongside our school staff, children and families, and external consultants (see below) to support positive mental health in school.
These are some of the approaches and activities to pastoral care and mental health and wellbeing we offer:
- Circle of Friends initiative and social skills groups
- Support from specialist Play Therapist (James Smith, from RUN Therapy) which includes 1:1 pupil sessions, family support, staff supervision and whole class support. Mr Smith also sits on the school’s wider Behaviour Team
- Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA): trained professionals in-school provide early help wellbeing support through 1:1 pupil sessions. Our ELSAs receive information on training and supervision from Hackney Education’s Educational Psychology (EP) service
- Art therapy
- PSHE curriculum.
External professionals we work with
- Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
- RUN Therapy
- Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT)
- Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools (WAMHS) project
- Family Coaching Service
- Hackney Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Re-Engagement Unit (REU) for children at risk of exclusion.
Circle of Friends
We run a Circle of Friends group to support children navigating their thoughts and feelings when in social situations which they might find challenging, for example play times or outdoor adventures. The circle is aimed at children who may struggle with social skills, friendships or feelings of isolation. It involves creating a small group of peers who agree to help and encourage a particular child, fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Our Play Therapist supports the group sessions and the aims are to build positive relationships and provide a child with a supportive network.
The Circle of Friends:
- Meets regularly to discuss ways to help a child navigate social situations and improve interaction
- Boosts social confidence and reduces feelings of isolation
- Develops empathy and understanding among peers
- Enhances teamwork and problem-solving skills
- Creates a more inclusive school environment where all children feel valued and supported.
The group not only benefits the child receiving support but also teaches empathy and cooperation to the whole group.
Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools (WAHMS) project
We work closely with Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and have an allocated CAMHS consultant who works in partnership with school through our WAHMS project. We hold parent workshops and coffee mornings with the aim to support our families (and children) in school as well as at home. We are currently holding a coffee morning one each half-term.
A few examples of our themes are:
- Understanding and supporting behaviour
- Understanding neurodiversity
- Supporting neurodiversity
- Supporting your child through transition.
Other interventions
- Self-referral sessions every lunch time where the children go to speak to our Play Therapist should they choose to do so
- Our Play Therapist also runs whole-class sessions
- Both ELSA and Play Therapy sessions take place in (separate) dedicated wellbeing rooms
- We have a therapy room for our SEND children but also for children who may need time to self-regulate
- We have created regulation routes around the school for children to use if and when they need a regulation or movement break
- Every classroom has a Calm Space which children can use autonomously should they need, as well as a Worry Box to leave a note for their teacher if they don’t feel like talking.
- Our specialist Art teacher holds individual art sessions to support some of our most vulnerable children
- Mental Health assemblies.