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 Organisation, 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.

• 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 as a referral to wider professionals. 

Other wellbeing and nurture interventions offered include Drawing & Talking, Lego therapy Intervention & Walk & Talk time.

Lego Therapy Intervention

The Lego Intervention is run on a weekly basis for six/twelve weeks for 45 minutes per session.

Aimed at…

• Children who have difficulties with social skills, communication and interacting with their peers.
• Pupils with autism.

Objectives

To increase a child’s ability to engage and work co-operatively with his/her peers.

To increase a child’s strategies for compromise and negotiation.

To support a child’s ability to initiate conversation and respond appropriately.

To support a child’s ability to take direction from his/her peers.

What is Lego Therapy Intervention?

• Collaborative play in which children work together to build Lego models in a structured environment.
• Children have different but interdependent roles which necessitate interaction and work on a multitude of skills.
• Group rules are formulated to decide on appropriate conduct by the group.
• Increases interest in engaging with peers and building friendships.

Drawing & Talking Overview

Drawing & Talking runs for 12 sessions, 30 minutes on the same day, same time, same place each week, this is important as it relies on building a trusting relationship.  At the end of the 12 weeks the child is given their drawings to keep.

Drawing enables, a child to express, in a visual form, worries and preoccupations from deep in the mind that they feel that they are not able to talk about. Drawings enable symbolic & safe expression of worries and feelings. Over time, with an empathic adult giving the child attention and talking to them in a gentle, thoughtful and supportive way, asking non-intrusive questions about their drawing, the child can create a story through the pictures.

In addition, all staff have undertaken Emotion Coaching training, and this is updated each year by the SENCo. As part of our whole school provision many teachers have built in class wellbeing time on a weekly basis.