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Our Lady and St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School Part of the Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Wellbeing at Our Lady & St Patrick's

We have a three-tiered graduated approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing here at Our Lady and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School.

Every child benefits from daily whole class wellbeing sessions ‘Calm Start’ and for this, we use a mix of approaches including yoga, meditation, mindfulness, guided relaxation, therapeutic stories, problem solving, exploring feelings and emotions.

At the core of each of these approaches is the importance of giving children an emotional vocabulary, the time and space to listen and reflect on how they feel and a set of tools to help them move to a more positive set of feelings when sadness, frustration, anger, loneliness, grief are experienced.

Our Three-Tiered Approach to Positive Mental Health

Other ways in which we promote Health and Wellbeing in School include:

a school with caring and dedicated staff
a school ethos inspired by Gospel Values and the teachings of Jesus, which has children’s social and emotional well-being at the heart of it
a Designated Mental Health Lead, Mrs Goodfellow and Deputy Designated Mental Health Lead, Miss Foster;
a designated member of staff to liaise with families to provide the support available to help to meet the child’s needs or signpost them to somebody who may be able to help
a team of trained Youth Mental Health First Aiders;
all staff trained in Understanding Mental Health
Three specialist, wellbeing rooms, The Nest, The Den and The Snug;
two specially-trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant's (ELSA);
a professional counsellor, who runs one-to-one sessions with specific children;
whole school assembly themes to promote and support SEMH;
worry boxes and slips around the school for children to easily request support from a trusted adult;
circle time sessions in all year groups;
annual workshop sessions with 'The Education Life Bus'
annual workshops, events and assemblies run by NSPCC staff;
marking World Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in school;
a comprehensive range of health and sporting activities across the curriculum and in after-school clubs
a behaviour system that employs a restorative approach and a reward system (using class dojo) that encourages children to embody our school values to be kind, caring and considerate towards others.

The Six Ways to Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a term that covers many different areas within our lives. In its simplest form it could be defined as simply feeling good and being physically well. However, we know through experience that wellbeing is not as simple as that. To help, try to use these six ways to develop and maintain wellbeing.

Be Active

Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Keep Learning

Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do.

Give

Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you.

Connect

With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues or neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections with support and enrich you every day.

Take Notice

Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are on a train, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Care for the Planet

Look after your community and the world. Make small changes to your life that will reduce your energy use, recycle more, leave the car at home, use low energy light bulbs, small steps to a greener life can make a difference