Mental Health & Well Being
Mental Health & Well Being
What is Wellbeing?
Well-being is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” However, it is much more than moment-to-moment happiness. While it does include happiness, it also includes other things, such as how satisfied people are with their life as a whole, their sense of purpose, and how in control they feel
The Inclusion Team
The primary aim of the Inclusion Team at GGA is to support the well-being and mental health of pupils, staff and families.
We are:
Mrs Jackson
Mrs Stapley
Mrs Waller
We offer a whole range of support, from one off time to chat if a child is having a difficult day, through to supportive therapeutic sessions on a longer-term basis. We are here for any pupil who wants to talk or access our support.
We also support families for example, giving advice
-
around healthy eating
-
sleep
-
anxiety
-
bereavement
-
positive behaviour
-
food bank vouchers
-
financial issues
-
advice around domestic abuse
-
Signposting to other agencies
We are always here to listen and help if we can!
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy
Helping your child understand that everyone has mental health.
Useful Calming techniques
Poppy is a 7 year old Patterpug who belongs to Mrs Jackson. Poppy comes into school as an emotional support dog. Poppy has passed a temperament test and is a very calm and sociable little dog. Poppy loves coming to school and interacting with the children, she is now well known in school and the children are always happy to see her. She has helped a lot of children overcome their fear of dogs by interacting calmly with them.
Poppy will help settle children in the mornings who may be upset, she will let them walk her to their class and is a great distraction. Poppy supports children who may be working with Mrs Jackson in her room. She interacts with children who come to lunch club. Poppy is going to be supporting children with their reading as by reading to a dog it takes the pressure away and children can relax more in a non-judgemental environment.
Research has shown that having a dog in school can:
-
Have a calming effect on pupils
-
Improve behaviour and concentration
-
Foster a sense of responsibility
-
Develop children’s empathy and nurturing skills
-
Help children build confidence in reading
GROWTH MINDSET
We encourage all of our children to be the best that they can be.
We do this by teaching them that if we challenge ourselves in our learning and always try our best then we will become the best that we can be. We teach the power of ‘effort and self-belief’ rather than just natural ability. When we celebrate our children’s achievements we praise the effort in finding strategies that work that they have put into their learning and what they have achieved as a result of this. We never tell a child that they are clever in a specific subject as this can lower a child’s self-esteem and resilience if they find part of the subject tricky. Growing children’s confidence is key to their success. Trying new things each day and challenging themselves helps them to recognise their inner ability. Because of their new achievements, big or small, they will naturally grow in confidence.
Please have a look at our leaflet for more information.
The Learning Pit Poster shows you how we think about the challenges of learning.
Young Minds are experts in supporting Young People with Mental Health. Their resources can be really helpful.
Young Minds give the following advice for supporting your child with mental health and well-being;
-
Make sure they know you love them and are proud of them. Even when things are busy or stressful, and it feels like you are in survival mode, a word or a hug can reassure them a huge amount. Praise them for what they do well, and encourage them to try new things.
-
Be honest about your feelings - you don’t have to be perfect. We all get things wrong and shout or say unkind things from time to time. If this happens, say sorry to your child afterwards and explain why it happened, They will learn from you that it’s okay to make mistakes and that it doesn’t make you a bad person.
-
Be clear about what is and isn’t acceptable - and tell them why. Children need to know what is okay and what isn’t, and what will happen if they cross the line. Follow through on what you say as otherwise they may get confused or stop respecting the boundaries.
-
Own your own role - you are the parent, so don’t be afraid to take tough decisions. If your child sees you are scared of their reaction and always give in to them, it can make them feel very powerful, which can be frightening. Children need to know that you are there to keep them safe.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/
This link takes you to a wealth of information to support parents and carers in helping their children. This A-Z guide gives specific resources from a wide range of areas.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/
This guide shows you how to get help for your child:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/getting-help-for-your-child/
Useful resources:
Positive penguins (for children) – aimed at 8-12 year olds. This app helps children understand their feelings and challenge negative thinking.
SAM – https://sam-app.org.uk - self-help app for anxiety
Resiliency:
At Goldington Green we teach resiliency skills. Being resilient is all about how well you deal with and cope with difficult situations, which we are all facing at this time (May 2020) If you are resilient, you have the skills to bounce-back or recover from these difficulties.
Please take a look at the Resiliency Alphabet PowerPoint for ideas.
