Mental Health & Wellbeing

We hold the Gold Mental Health Kite Mark in recognition of our whole school approach and commitment to supporting and developing the mental health and wellbeing of staff, pupils, and parents.

At Clarendon, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff to ensure that the school is a community where everyone feels able to thrive. Positive mental wellbeing is essential if children and young people are to flourish and lead fulfilling lives.

At our school, we know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.

“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).

Two key elements to support good mental health are:

Feeling Good – experiencing positive emotions like happiness, contentment and enjoyment. Including feelings like curiosity, engagement and safety.
Functioning Well – how a person is able to function in the world, this includes positive relationships and social connections, as well as feeling in control of your life and having a sense of purpose.

Our role in school is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress, and that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. Children are taught when to seek help, what help is available, and the likely outcome of seeking support so that they have the confidence and knowledge for themselves or others. We also have a role to ensure that children learn about what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health and how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. As part of our targeted provision, we have and continue to access, outside help and support for pupils when required.

We include World Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in the school calendar and plan activities for the whole school.

Levels of Support

1.Universal Support – To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos, school values and our wider curriculum.

We use Calmaclass as a whole-school approach. Each class has this toolkit of quick and simple mindful relaxation exercises that can be used at key times of the day. Calmaclass uses research-based mindful and relaxation techniques alongside values and positive psychology (positivity, strength-building, gratitude, resilience and compassion) to help support children’s emotional health and wellbeing

Calmaclass includes mindfulness and sensory awareness exercises, physical and mental exercises, peer/self massage, visualisations, movement, stretches and breathing exercises, as well as, positive affirmations to help children to develop a range of physical and emotional skills that will enhance their personal and academic skill set.

To see the benefits of Calmaclass, click on the link below:

Calmaclass – Relax Kids – Official Website

Each class has a Mental Health and Wellbeing Ambassador. They are in charge of their class Mental Health Toolkit. This contains lots of resources to support children throughout the day as and when they need it.

2.Additional support – For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as separation or bereavement. Our Learning Mentor, Mrs Stone has a full-time, flexible timetable to be able to provide swift and effective in-house support. She is a trained counsellor and is also trained to deliver Drawing & Talking Therapy to individuals. She also supports parents with Mindfulness sessions and these workshops are repeated annually. Mrs Stone is able to provide a personalised, bespoke package of support for individuals or groups of children.

3.Targeted support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such referral to wider professionals.

Aspire Behaviour Management Service

Our outreach worker from Aspire is called Jadene May who comes into school weekly.  She supports the SENCO to ensure that the provision in school is right for each child and helps staff to overcome and barriers to learning. Jadene may observe children’s social and interaction skills and gather information for any child who is having social communication difficulties. She makes recommendations to staff which help the child to have a happy and settled time at school. Click the link below for more information on Aspire.

Behaviour Support | Aspire Behaviour Management | England (aspirebm.co.uk)

Useful links

Details of helpful organisations and other types of support available to young people:

Childline

0800 1111
childline.org.uk
Support for children and young people in the UK, including a free 24-hour helpline.

If you’re under 19 you can confidentially call, chat online or email Childline about any problem big or small.  Sign up for a free Childline locker (real name or email address not needed) to use their free 1-2-1 counsellor chat and email support service.

YoungMinds

youngminds.org.uk
Provides information and support around mental health, and a crisis text messenger service for urgent help.Young Minds Textline provides free, 24/7 text support for young people across the UK experiencing a mental health crisis.  All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors.  Text YM to 85258

Kooth

kooth.com
Information on mental health and wellbeing, community message boards and confidential live chat.

Samaritans

116 123 (helpline)
samaritans.org
24-hour emotional support for anyone who needs to talk.

The Mix

0808 808 4994 (helpline)
85258 (crisis messenger service, text THEMIX)
themix.org.uk
Support and advice for under 25s, including a helpline, crisis messenger service and webchat.

Papyrus HOPELINEUK

0800 068 4141 (helpline)
07860039967 (text)
papyrus-uk.org/hopelineuk
Provides confidential support if you, or someone you know, is thinking about suicide.

If you feel like you may attempt suicide, or you have seriously hurt yourself, it’s an emergency. You or a trusted adult should call 999 and ask for an ambulance, even during the coronavirus outbreak.

AFC Crisis Messenger

The AFC Crisis Messenger text service is a free, confidential, 24/7 text message support service for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or is struggling to cope. The service is staffed by trained volunteers who will work with you to take your next steps towards feeling better.  They can help with issues such as anxiety, worry, panic attacks, bullying and depression and are here to talk at any time of day or night. If you need support, you can text AFC to 85258.

Below are some useful websites that offer help and guidance to parents of youngsters who may have mental health needs:

Young Minds offers a number of different guides, handouts and videos to support young people and parents in supporting positive mental health

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families offer resources to Parents and Carers offering advice and guidance to help support children and young people who may be struggling with poor mental health.

Charlie Waller Trust is one of the UK’s biggest mental health charities offering support for adults and young people.

Every Mind Matters offering wellbeing tips and advice

SANE– SANE is committed to raising public awareness and research. SANE offers emotional support and information to anyone effected by mental health problems through its helpline and online Support Forum. It has a national out-of-hours helpline (Saneline 0300 304 7000, 4:30pm to 10:30pm daily)

Anxiety UK– Anxiety UK helps all those suffering with anxiety disorders. It has an information line number (08444 775 774) where you can talk to someone in complete confidence between 9:30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday

Selfharm UK– SelfharmUK is a project dedicated to supporting young people impacted by self-harm, providing a safe space to talk, ask questions and be honest about what’s going on in life. The site helps with facts, myths, staying safe and has useful links to sites for additional support

ABC– ABC is a national UK eating disorders organisation. It provides ongoing care, emotional support and practical guidance for anyone affected by eating disorders. Telephone helplines are open from 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday-Friday