School Mental Health Lead:
Mr Roddy (Deputy Headteacher)
School Governor (Mental Health / wellbeing):
Mrs S. Gould
Good mental health is an issue for all of us. While it is common to think that we should offer interventions to those who present with obvious needs, the fact is that we all benefit from being involved in activities that develop positive coping strategies and promote meaningful, respectful relationships. At St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, we practice the 5 ways to wellbeing.
We very much see our role as partners in your child’s personal development as including that of supporting them in their and emotional development. Our extensive RSE curriculum and our strong focus on encouraging children to participate in physical activity are long-standing features of our ethos. Our commitment in teaching children how they can better achieve good mental health and emotional wellbeing has, through training and development, improved considerably in the last few years. For example, we now have regular access to more specialist support on our very doorstep, in addition to the more long-standing services.
Introduction
“Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” (World Health Organization 2014)
Mental Health, whether it is children or adults, can have a rather negative stigma attached to it, yet we believe that by raising the profile of this very important issue then only good things can come from it. Children’s mental health and well-being is being reported on more and more, as you may have come across in the news quite frequently over the last few months. With a range of issues surrounding social media, self-esteem, social mobility and diet, among many others, it is clear that there is a nationwide concern emerging around children’s mental health – to the extent where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have pledged to offer their time and support.
What’s also apparent is that this issue is not specific to any particular age group, with children in primary schools, secondary schools and further education being recognised. It is fair to say that there is no ‘magic fix’ to this, but at St. John Bosco School we always try to support children’s mental health and any worries they may have.
We have established a Wellbeing Champion Team in school. It is made up of staff and children from KS2 and we aim to provide children with an awareness of wellbeing, opportunities to share problems and a range of wellbeing activities throughout the year. Our motto is, ‘I’ve got time to talk.’
At St John Bosco, we believe it is important for pupils to have a voice and be able to influence decisions. Our Wellbeing Champions work closely with staff so they can contribute ideas on how to improve the wellbeing of pupils across the school.
The purpose of the champion role is to help support the wellbeing of the children, staff and wider community through raising awareness of wellbeing activities and positive mental health support services in our local area.
Examples of activities include:
The Champions play an essential role in being the voice for their year groups; sharing information across the other classes; help deliver Wellbeing Collective Worships and helping to organise events such as Children’s Mental Health Weeks.
If you’re worried about a child or need advice and support for coping with anything affecting your child’s mental health or wellbeing, there are different ways to seek help:
