At Cherhill C of E Primary School, we believe that learning about mental health and wellbeing is a valuable life skill. We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of all our children and staff. 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.  

We promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
• Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
• Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
• Providing access to appropriate support that meets their needs
• Helping children to understand their emotions and feelings better and to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• Helping children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks 
• Friday Celebration Assembly, celebrating success in academic and non-academic achievements to promote self-esteem

What we have in place:

• nominated school council members in each class to represent their peers and gain feedback in class assemblies
• home/school communication books for parents and teachers to share information
• Key Stage 2 children as play-leaders/sports coaches to support younger children in positive play
• positive behaviour systems in place to promote positive social behaviour
• a range of physical lunchtime clubs and quieter lunchtime clubs to promote mental health and wellbeing and support for pupils who find busy lunchtimes stressful
• class activities for Mental Health Awareness Week throughout school
• class activities for Internet Safety Day throughout school
• worry monsters in each class for pupils to share their worries with a safe adult
• transition days for all children to meet their new teachers before the start of a new year
• a Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy for our school
• a Staff Wellbeing Charter

What we do:

We follow the DfE guidelines for providing a whole school approach to learning about Mental Health and Wellbeing through weekly SCARF (Coram Life Education) lessons in every class. These help pupils to build important life skills, such as learning to learn, habits of mind and growth mindset. For more information, please refer to our PSHE curriculum page

https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/cherhill-cofe-va-primary/UploadedDocument/afbdbfc2-0f41-436f-860f-d406b495fff6/pshe.pdf

Where children are identified as needing additional nurture and support, class teachers can refer them to our ELSA team for small group and 1:1 emotional literacy work. For more information, please refer to our ELSA page

https://www.cherhill.wilts.sch.uk/emotional-literacy-support-assistants-elsa/

What do I do if I am worried about my child's mental health or wellbeing?

We are currently living through extremely challenging times, and now perhaps more than ever, looking after our mental health and well-being is of paramount importance to us all.

You can:

• Go to your GP as a first port of call as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services.
• Speak to a School Nurse. Referrals for the School Nurse service can be made both through your GP and through school but you can also contact them directly on 0300 2470090 (option 1)
• Talk to your child’s class teacher about your child's needs or your concerns.

• Talk to our school SENCo and Senior Mental Health and Wellbeing lead, Mrs Griggs (Contact the school Admin office to arrange an appointment)

• Contact one of the mental health and wellbeing websites listed below