At our school, we promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
• Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
• Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements in order to promote self-esteem
• Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
• Providing opportunities to reflect
• Access to appropriate support that meets their needs
• Helping children to understand their emotions and feelings better and to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• Helping children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks 

We offer different levels of support:
Universal Support – To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance, developing resilience for all.

Additional support – For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.

Targeted support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors.

Lead staff members to contact if you are concerned about your mental health: Your Teacher, Mrs Dalgliesh (SENDCO), Mrs Darley (Headteacher), Mrs Rennison (Deputy Headteacher), Mrs Richardson & Mrs Graham.

What do we currently do for mental health and wellbeing for our pupils and staff?

• We have a designated trained staff, who deliver nurture groups for pupils, such as small group ‘time to talk’ social skills work, resilience skills, ‘it’s good to be me’ groups and 1:1 check in with pupils.
• We have a Well-being Team made up of the following staff: Mrs Graham & Mrs Richardson who support children daily.
• Across school we have worry boxes & cards for pupils to post their worries. These are collected regularly and a trusted adult will support each pupil.
• We have nominated school council members in each class to represent their peers and gain feedback in class assemblies.
• We hold extra half-termly meetings for pupils who need more regular meetings to support their needs.
• We have parents’ SENDCO forum meetings for parents to attend and share their concerns and worries.
• We have move up days, extra transition sessions and meet the teacher sessions for when a pupil is finding a class move difficult.
• We have an allocated buddy for all new pupils.
• We have lunchtime drop ins for pupils to be able to chat/share their worries with an adult.
• We have Key Stage 2 children as play-leaders/sports coaches to support younger children in positive play.
• We have wellbeing support children in Year 6.
• We have a range of physical lunchtime clubs and quieter lunchtime clubs to promote mental health and wellbeing and support for pupils who find busy lunchtimes stressful.
• We have mental health and wellbeing trained staff in order to support pupils with their needs.
• We have positive behaviour systems in place to promote positive social behaviour.
• We have mental health and wellbeing assemblies to promote resilience and self-management.
• We have a PSHE curriculum that helps pupils to build important life skills, such as learning to learn, habits of mind and the growth mindset.
• Our ethos is to promote supporting the development of skills and character traits such as perseverance, compassion and teamwork.
• We include World Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in the school calendar and plan activities for the whole school.

Positive Experiences
Parklands offers pupils many opportunities to do physical activities as well as opportunities to relax which both are ways to promote wellbeing and positive mental health.

What We Provide:

• Lunch games to play outside during ‘Happy Lunchtimes’
• Library open each lunch to borrow books to read
• Active Learning
• Relaxed Kids Nurture Group
• Home Learning Projects
• Themed Days
• Residential visits
• Educational day visits
• Before and after school clubs
• Extra-curricular clubs such as craft, yoga and mindfulness

 

Celebrating Success
We like to celebrate our many successes together by:

• Posting achievements on Seesaw to celebrate what is taking place
• Displaying pupils’ work in class
• Star of the Week Award Assembly each week
• Character development portfolios which follow the children through school as they gain unique experiences.
• Copies of achievements in our ‘Best Effort’ display
• Mrs Darley’s Star of the Week sausage sandwich
• Class Assemblies
• School newsletters

School Counselling

Parklands recognise some pupils require additional psychotherapeutic support. We provide in-school counselling for pupils who would benefit from in-depth counselling support.

Counselling is provided by a qualified child and young person counsellor funded by school, in partnership with local business and with additional grants from external organisations.

Our school counsellor Philippa Westmacott-Youlden (MBACP) provides counselling in the Parklands Counselling and Wellbeing Hub, a specially designed confidential, safe, child focused counselling space in the heart of school.

The school also offers counselling student placements for those studying child counselling on a BACP accredited course. This enables us to provide much needed additional support to our pupils.

Counselling at Parkland’s supports pupils with a range of presenting issues including grief and loss, friendship struggles, family breakdown, emotional regulation difficulties and trauma and those who have or are experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). There is no minimum or maximum
number of sessions a pupil can access.

Pupils can be referred by staff or parents/carers.