Mental Health and Wellbeing
supporting children with their emotional and social development
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
At Grovelands Community Primary School, we follow a graduated approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing, to ensure that all children have access to the appropriate support.
WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH
Therapeutic Thinking
At Grovelands Community Primary School, we are a committed to a Therapeutic Thinking approach to behaviour, which complements our ethos of ‘Believe, Create, Achieve’ and our Growth Mindset themes.
Therapeutic Thinking starts with building caring and empathetic relationships, where staff know the children well and treat them as individuals. It also involves the creation of a positive classroom by providing a calm and safe learning environment, in order that children feel more secure and are better able to regulate their emotions. This, in turn, supports children to be ready for learning.
Staff promote prosocial behaviours through the development of positive relationships with the children, building self-esteem through recognition and praise, providing positive learning experiences, and developing emotional literacy to support self-regulation.
You can find out more about how we promote and acknowledge prosocial behaviours within our Promoting Prosocial Behaviour Policy
Six Principles of Nurture
In addition to the Therapeutic Thinking approach, we use the Six Principles of Nurture across our school to ensure that we develop inclusive, whole-class approaches that facilitate learning readiness and engagement for all children.
The Six Principles of Nurture are:
- children's learning is understood developmentally
- the classroom offers a safe base
- nurture is important in the development of wellbeing
- language is understood as a vital means of communication
- all behaviour is communication
- transitions are significant in the lives of children
PSHE
All children access regular PSHE lessons around Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World strands. Please see the PSHE Progression of Skills document for further information.
Worry Boxes
Children in Years 1-6 have access to a Worry Box in their year group areas. Children can write or draw a note that they then post in the Worry Box and these are followed up by a member of the Nurture Team.
TARGETED INTERVENTION SUPPORT
Social Skills Groups
Social Skills group follow the Talkabout hierarchical method. Talkabout is a complete programme for developing self-esteem, social and friendship skills. It uses a hierarchical method of developing skills where foundation social skills are taught before more complicated skills.
Nurture Groups
Nurture groups are a short-term, small group interventions for children with identified social, emotional or behavioural difficulties which are creating a barrier to learning within a mainstream class.
Nurture groups offer a range of opportunities for children to engage with early nurturing experiences, giving them the social and emotional skills to do well at school and with peers, and to develop their resilience and self-confidence.
Mentoring
Mentoring sessions support the emotional development of children in school. Learning Mentors help children learn to understand their emotions and respect the feelings of those around them. They provide the time and space for pupils to think about their personal circumstances and learn strategies of how they manage them.
Drawing and Talking
Drawing and Talking allows children to discover and communicate emotions through the non-directed technique of artwork.
Drawing and Talking Therapy is the number one alternative to CBT and direct talking therapies, that can often be confronting or limiting in the processing of pain or trauma.
Nurture ABC
Nurture ABC can encourage children to express and process their emotions and thoughts symbolically through play.
Me and My Mind
The Me and My Mind service, known nationally as the Mental Health Support Teams, work within our school to offer mental health support. The team provide short-term support for children aged 7 to 17 with mild to moderate mental health difficulties around areas such as anxiety, sleep and low mood.
SENIOR MENTAL HEALTH LEAD:
The Senior Mental Health Lead at Grovelands is Natalia Squires. The role of the Senior Mental Health Lead is to work closely with other members of school leadership team on the development and implementation of school's approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Key duties of the role include:
Develop and lead an effective early intervention and prevention strategy that enables pupils to access support for their mental health and wellbeing
Coordinate the school’s provision for pupil’s mental health needs, including oversight of interventions where they are being delivered by staff
Oversee the mental health and wellbeing interventions that take place in school and evaluate the outcome of interventions on pupils’ wellbeing and attainment
Champion and always promote staff wellbeing
Other Information
Connect with us
Grovelands School, Dunbar Drive,
Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3UW.
Staff Contacts
- Executive Headteacher: Mr Jon Goulding
- Headteacher: Ms Joanne Campbell
- School Business Manager: Mrs Helen Fingerneissl
- School Secretary: Mrs Carol Welfare
- LAC Chair: Mr Steve Hayes
- Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mr Jon Goulding
- Safeguarding Strategic Lead / Senior Mental Health Lead: Miss N Squires
- Deputy DSLs: Miss S Coates, Mr R Williams
- SENCO: Mrs Karen Liddell