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Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health & Wellbeing

At. St. Anselm's Primary School, we are committed to supporting the positive mental health and wellbeing of our whole community of children, staff, parents and carers.

Our ethos is supportive, caring and respectful. We understand how important positive mental health and well-being are to our lives. We recognise that children's mental health is vital to their overall well-being and how it can affect their learning and achievements. Our school encourages children to be open, and we support all children to have their voices heard.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that "to help their children succeed, schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy". Our school is a place for children to experience a nurturing and supportive environment. We support the children to develop their self-esteem and build resilience. We understand all children and their families go through ups and downs, and some face significant life events.

In 2017, research (Mental Health of Children and Young People in England) found that "one in eight 5 to 19-year olds had at least one mental disorder". We know that anyone in our community may need additional emotional support to cope with life's challenges.

Our culture of nurturing children and building resilience to mental health problems means our school is a safe place where:

Every child feels valued
Every child has a sense of belonging
Every child feels able to talk openly with trusted members of staff about their problems
Positive mental health is promoted
Bullying is not tolerated

We recognise the importance of supporting positive mental health and well-being in the whole school community.

We recognise that mental health and well-being are not simply the absence of mental health problems. We know that building, children's confidence and self-esteem in a safe environment are virtual to positive mental health and successful learning outcomes.

At our school, we want all children to:

Understand their emotions and experiences.
Form and maintain friendships and relationships
be able to express a range of emotions appropriately
Develop resilience and cope with setbacks
Manage the stresses of everyday life and be able to deal with change
Learn and achieve

We maintain a mentally healthy environment for pupils and staff by:

Promoting our school rules and values, and encouraging a sense of belonging and community
Providing opportunities to develop self-worth
Valuing each pupil for who they are
Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements
Supporting our children to have their say and participate in decision-making
Raising awareness amongst staff about early warning signs and symptoms of mental health issues
Supporting staff who are struggling with their mental health problems

Lead Staff Members to contact if you are concerned about your Child's Mental Health:

Deacon Tito - Designated Child Protection/Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Eileen Dhak - Senior Lead for Mental Health & Wellbeing and Mental Health First Aider

Mrs Sarrah Gissing- SENCO

Year 6 Transition Poetry- Supported by the Catholic Children Society

Useful Leaflets

World Mental Health Day

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10th October every year. The theme of 2022's World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.'

For over 70 years, the World Health Organisation has been working to make sure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health. Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. World Mental Health Day is also a chance to take about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.