St Francis De Sales Catholic Infant And Nursery School

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School, the mental health and wellbeing of our whole school community is central to our ethos. We follow our school mission statement by walking, learning, loving and smiling with Jesus – we model and encourage kindness to each other as staff and to our children. We want everyone to feel safe and happy and recognise the need to promote the Health and Well-Being of children, their parents / carers and our staff. We strongly believe that children who have a healthy mind as well as a healthy body, are enabled to reach their full potential to become a lifelong learner.

The past few years have thrown more challenges than ever to our Mental Health. Teachers use our bespoke programme for the teaching of the PSHE Curriculum, which has a huge focus on mental and physical health. Each of these lessons always begins with a mindfulness session to help us to check in with how we are feeling.

We use Zones of Regulation and model the use of ‘zones’ language to support children to identify how they are feeling, the zone that they are in and to co-regulate alongside them throughout the day.

Mental health is how we feel, how we think and how we behave. Mental Health Promotion for children and is everybody’s business. At St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School, we recognise that all children and adults need the foundation of positive mental health to benefit fully from all of the opportunities available to them.

It is about:

being able to form and maintain relationships with others
being adaptable to change and other people’s expectations
being able to have fun
being open to learning
being able to develop a sense of right and wrong
being able to develop the resilience to manage ordinary setbacks

All children and adults need to:

be able to Connect with others by participating in groups and teams
know they are Capable and able to achieve
know they Count in their world and can contribute to their community
know they have Courage and can manage risks appropriately

Everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable. At times, anyone may need additional support to maintain or develop good mental health.

The mental health of children and adults in school, parents and carers and the wider whole school community will impact on all areas of development, learning, achievement and experiences. All children have the right to be educated in an environment that supports and promotes positive mental health for everybody. All adults have the right to work in an environment that supports and promotes positive mental health for everybody.

St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School provides a learning environment that promotes and enhances positive mental health. A consistent approach means that the school environment and school ethos all promote the mental health of the whole school community. Healthy relationships underpin positive mental health and have a significant impact.

A mentally healthy environment has:

a clear and agreed ethos and culture that accords value and respect to all
a commitment to being responsive to children and young people’s needs
clearly defined mental health links in school policies
clear guidelines for internal and external referrals
inclusion and diversity promoted
open and honest conversations
strong links with external agencies to provide access to support and information
a named lead for mental health promotion with the expectation that there is support and involvement and an ethos that ‘mental health is everyone’s business’ – this is Miss Wish, our Learning Mentor

A mentally healthy environment is a place where children and young people:

have opportunities to participate in activities that encourage belonging
have opportunities to participate in decision-making
have opportunities to celebrate academic and non-academic achievements
have their unique talents and abilities identified and developed
have opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
have opportunities to reflect
have access to appropriate support that meets their needs
have a right to be in an environment that is safe, clean, attractive and well cared for
are surrounded by adults who model positive and
appropriate behaviours, interactions and ways of relating at all times

A mentally healthy environment is a place where staff:

have their individual needs recognised and responded to in a holistic way
have a range of strategies that support their mental health, e.g. a named person to speak to, signposting
have recognition of their work-life balance
have the mental health and well-being of the whole staff reviewed regularly
feel valued and have opportunities to contribute to decision-making processes
celebrate and recognise success
are able to carry out roles and responsibilities effectively
are provided with opportunities for CPD both personally and professionally
have their unique talents and skills recognised and opportunities are provided for development
have time to reflect
can access proactive strategies and systems to support them at times of emotional needs in both the short term and the long term

A mentally healthy environment is a place where parents/carers:

are recognised for their significant contribution to children and young people’s mental health
are welcomed, included and work in partnership with schools and agencies
are provided with opportunities where they can ask for help when needed
are signposted to appropriate agencies for support
are clear about their roles and expectations of their responsibilities in working in partnership with schools
opinions are sought and valued and responded to
strengths and difficulties are recognised, acknowledged and challenged appropriately

A mentally healthy environment is a place where the whole school community:

is involved in promoting positive mental health
is valued for the role it plays in promoting positive mental health
contributes towards the ethos of the school

Here are some of the things we do at St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School to support children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing

We provide opportunities that promote positive mental health, through the standard curriculum and extended provision:

Jigsaw PSHE curriculum from Nursery to Year 2
Therapeutic Play in our Thinc Room
Massage
Seedlings
Forest School
Nurture Groups
Talking Partners
Circle Time
Early identification of needs through a graduated approach to teaching and learning
Adapted learning activities
Visual timetables
Effective Accessibility, Anti-bullying, Positive Behaviour Strategy, Equalities, SEND & Inclusion and Teaching & Learning Policies
Learning Mentor
Referrals to outside agencies: ADHD Foundation, SENISS. CAMHS, NSPCC, Bobby Colheran Trust
CAFOD
Additional Support