Colebrook Junior School

Working Together to achieve Success

Towcester Road, Swindon,
Wiltshire SN3 4AS

01793 823 057

Mental Health and Well Being

 

At Colebrook Junior School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers), and recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. All children go through ups and downs during their school career and some face significant life events. To be a happy, active and positive contributor to society we all need to take care of our mental well-being.  

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “in order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”. Schools can be a place for children and young people to experience a nurturing and supportive environment that has the potential to develop self-esteem and give positive experiences for overcoming adversity and building resilience. For some, school will be a place of respite from difficult home lives and offer positive role models and relationships, which are critical in promoting children’s wellbeing and can help create a sense of belonging and community.

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. 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, how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and where they can go if they need help and support.

Our aim is to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and to be a school where:

  • All children are valued.
  • Children have a sense of belonging and feel safe.
  • Children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems without feeling any stigma.
  • Positive mental health is promoted and valued.
  • Bullying is not tolerated.

Click on the image below to see the 5 Steps to Mental Well being that we promote throughout our school.

 

You might find these links below helpful:

 

General
Kids Helpline - Australian website with many useful resources to support a wide variety of issues
Young Minds - useful information about various mental health conditions and how to get help
Child Line - lots of information and useful resources about mental health, including games to boost your mood
Family Lives - charity providing help and support for a wide variety of family topics
The Children's Society - variety of resources and advice about mental health 0-25 years
Talking Mental Health - Teacher toolkit that includes a lesson plan, animation, resources and assembly plan

The Dock Swindon

On Your Mind

Self-Esteem
Young Minds - parent’s guide to supporting children with self-esteem
The Children's Society - information, tips and videos about self-esteem
Kids' Health - information about self-esteem

Resilience
Positive Psychology - information and advice about building resilience in children
Bright Horizons - information and strategies for building resilience in children

Mindfulness
Cosmic Kids - yoga designed specifically for children
Go Noodle - games to encourage active movement and mindfulness
Breath Meditation - You Tube video introducing children to mindful breathing

Anxiety
Young Minds - information and advice about supporting a child with anxiety
Child Mind Institute - tips for helping a child with anxiety
The Anxious Child - booklet for parents about anxiety in children (produced by The Mental Health Foundation)
Anxiety UK - information and advice for parents about anxiety in young people

Bereavement and Loss
Child Bereavement UK
Winston's Wish - childhood bereavement charity.
Wiltshire Treehouse - bereavement support for children and young people up to the age of 25

 

Childline have developed some resources to help children when feeling anxious, scared or sad.

Click here to access them.


Useful Leaflet
For Parents and Carers

Sometimes life has a habit of throwing us a 'curve ball' and we can encounter all sorts of difficulties, both at home and work, and these can sometimes cause us to feel like we are on a roller coaster with increased levels of stress and anxiety. Being a parent can be challenging at the best of times. It's the hardest job and doesn't come with a manual!  It is so important for all of us to take care of our own mental health and in this section you will find links to some useful websites giving helpful tips and advice.

Always remember, it’s ok not to be ok. If you find yourself struggling, it’s ok to reach out to friends, family and professional organisations for help. Nobody should feel that they have to go it alone. My door is always open for a chat but sometimes you might find that the following organisations can support you and provide you with more guidance.

NSPCC - Mental health advice for parents
Lift Swindon - A Swindon service which offers various types of support for a range of different issues including anxiety and low self-esteem
Mind - A mental health charity offering advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem
Mental Health.org - The Mental health Foundation’s A-Z of Mental Health
NHS - a list of mental health charities, organisations and support groups offering expert advice
Relate - counselling and advice service for families
Counselling Directory - directory of counsellors offering support for families