Shaping Learning For Life
We all have mental health. Your mental health affects how you feel, think and act and can change on a daily basis. It’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay to be different – in fact this is something to celebrate! At Stockbridge we are here to support the mental health of our whole community – children, families and staff.
Our wellbeing
Universal Support
We meet the needs of all our children through our school ethos and values. We carefully plan our curriculum and build a strong community which everyone feels like they belong to.
Additional Support
For those who have short term needs and are going through something particular (e.g. bereavement, parental separation, new sibling being born, parents being deployed). This will usually happen through Thrive sessions with a trained practitioner.
Targeted Support
For those who need specific and targeted interventions. We may refer to outside agencies e.g. CAMHS, Young Carers, Kids on Track.
We have been a Thrive school for many years now. It is part and parcel of who we are and what we do. Thrive is a whole school approach to improving the social and emotional wellbeing of all our children. Through Thrive, adults are trained to Attune, Validate, Contain and Regulate alongside the children to support them through their big feelings. We are here to make the unbearable survivable.
Assemblies
Wellbeing Wednesdays are our chance to get together each week and think about strategies to support our own mental health.
This half term we have been focusing on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. These were developed by the New Economics Foundation and are based on lots of research. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
- Connect with other people. Spend time with family, switch off the TV and play a game instead, arrange a day out with friends you haven’t seen for a while or have lunch with someone different than you usually would.
- Be physically active. Get out for a walk, take the stairs rather than the lift, have a kick-about in the park or do some stretches to start your day.
- Learn new skills. Sign up to a new class, read a new book, learn some new words or teach yourself a new skill.
- Give to others. Get involved with some volunteering, help a friend out, make a cup of tea for someone or simply give your time to someone.
- Take notice. Look after some plants, have a ‘clear the clutter’ day, try some mindfulness activities or just get yourself out in nature and really look around you.
Top Tips for helping children regulate their emotions.
- Stay calm. Don’t say too much.
- Name the emotion they are showing (without questioning them about it).
- Attune and validate. It’s okay to have big emotions. Show them you understand how they are feeling.
- Reassure them you are there to help them and listen to them.
- Contain and regulate. This will take time and cannot be done when they are heightened. Do something together you know brings them joy.
- Plan for next time.
Book Recommendations
We have a variety of books available for you to borrow in school. This selection are all based around worries and are a great way to open up conversations at home.
