Mental Health, Wellbeing and Nurture

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Nurture

Proverbs 4:23  Good News Translation (GNT) of the Bible

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

We believe in paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Nurturing the health and wellbeing of our pupils is an embedded approach across the school’s ethos, linking with other aspects of health education, spiritual development, the wider school curriculum and the ethos and policies that underpin the school.  We strive to maintain good partnership working with other agencies and health services to ensure our children and families receive the best possible support whenever its required.

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.

At Egerton, we aim to promote pupils’ wellbeing through an understanding of their own and others’ emotions and the development of healthy coping strategies. Good mental health and wellbeing is just as important as good physical health. Like physical health, mental health can range across a spectrum from healthy to unwell; it can fluctuate on a daily basis and change over time. 

We include Mental Health Awareness in the school calendar and plan activities various for the whole school at points throughout the year, as well as ongoing classroom activities.

Levels of support

• Universal Support– To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos, school Christian values 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 separation or bereavement.
• Targeted support– For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such referral to wider professionals.