Health and Well-being
D’Eyncourt Primary School
Well-being
Our vision at D’Eyncourt is clear for all:
We aim to be our BEST – Be kind and caring, Excel in Learning, Show Respect and Take on Challenges
All children will have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum and will be given every opportunity to fulfil his/her potential. We have worked together on creating our aims and vision for the school moving forward. These are what the governors (including parent governors), pupils and staff wanted for our school.
Our School Aims
- To foster an ethos of the high expectations and aspirations.
- To promote the highest academic standards through hard work, enthusiasm and the belief that everyone can learn and grow.
- To provide opportunities for everyone to foster their creativity.
- To create resilient, life-long learners.
- To give all pupils a voice in a safe, secure and happy environment.
- To prepare pupils to become positive citizens of the future.
- To make sure that all members of the school community feel valued and appreciated.
- To involve our parents in school life, working together for the best possible outcomes.
- To celebrate our achievements both academic and personal.
- To enrich our pupils’ lives and broaden their experiences through a wide variety of clubs, activities and visits.
- To make learning fun!
It is widely recognised that a child’s emotional health and well-being influences their cognitive development and learning, as well as their physical and social health and their well-being in adulthood. The Department for Education recognises that in order to help pupils succeed, schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy.
Our Well-being Aims
Through teaching the children, training the staff, involving our parents in our shared vision and having a whole school approach to the importance of healthy bodies, healthy minds, acts of kindness and happiness for all we can support our D’Eyncourt community to be happy, healthy individuals. Through our curriculum, we talk to the children about mental health, particularly through assemblies, storytime, PE, PSHE and well-being sessions. Our children are learning that we all have mental health and that, just like physical health, sometimes we can feel fantastic, but other times we might not feel so good. They understand and accept that we all have times when we don’t feel good about things and that having someone that we can talk to can make all the difference.
We have a Change Team in place, including staff, children, parents and governors who are driving our vision. Our staff understand that it is crucial that we all share this message – and use it for ourselves too.
We aim to:
- Ensure that through the promotion of positive emotional health and well-being, children are helped to understand and express their feelings, build their confidence and emotional resilience and therefore their capacity to learn.
- Increase awareness and understanding and reduce stigma amongst children, staff and parents/carers of issues involving the emotional health and well-being of young people and to provide support at an early stage to anyone who is or appears to be suffering from mental health issues.
Our Staff Team
Well-being is every member of staff’s responsibility. We are lucky to have such a dedicated and experienced team that cares passionately about every child they have the pleasure of working with. The following members of staff have responsibility for well-being- they are the Change Team and they ensure we have a strategic approach to well-being:
Member of Staff | Position |
Miss S Ford | Assistant Headteacher and Well-being Lead |
Mrs L Claybrooke | Leader of Children’s Health and Well-being |
Mrs D Darby | Headteacher |
Mrs E Palmer | Assistant Headteacher/ SENDCo (MAT Leave Sept 2023) |
Miss R Murphy | Assistant Headteacher/ Acting SENDCo |
Mrs N Corns | Leader of PHSE and trained Mental Health First Aider |
The Well-being ‘Change Team’ will incorporate the following into their roles:
- Delivering staff supervision, training and CPD in relation to well-
being and mental health - Drive positive well-being across the whole school community
- Lead on the application for the Well-being Award for schools (WAS)
- To plan and create an action plan for the WAS process
- To evaluate the impact and outcomes based on the action plan
- Engaging parents and promoting family well-being
- Regularly gather feedback from staff, pupils and parents and take appropriate action as a response
The Change Team are supported in school by the School Council children and designated Well-being Ambassadors in each class who meet regularly and discuss the well-being of their peers in school.
What is Well-being?
Although definitions vary – and some feel that it is hard to define – there is broad agreement that well-being refers to the quality of people’s lives. It is about how well we are, and how our lives are going. There are many ways to define well-being, and that is a discussion in itself.
For this guidance, we define ‘well-being’ as referenced in the widely accepted World Health
Organisation definition of mental health:
“Mental health is defined as 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.”
At D’Eyncourt, we believe that to be successful in school, pupils need to feel safe, happy and confident. We believe that when we get well-being right, pupils will achieve their academic potential and ability.
How do we promote a positive mental health?
- Promote knowledge and understanding of both internal and external support services.
- Encourage and support the whole school community to be positive in its approach to mental health well-being
- Provide guidance and support to all those connected with the organisation to help them develop confidence in their ability to manage mental health and emotional well-being.
- Provide appropriate training and information to staff on mental health and emotional well-being.
- Have named Change Team who are the contact point at D’Eyncourt Primary who are responsible for co-ordination and delivery of the school’s mental health and emotional well-being strategy
- Seek to embed mental health and emotional support across the curriculum.
What do we do if we believe a child or member of staff needs support?
Any member of staff who is concerned about the mental health or well-being of a child should speak to the Mental Health Lead in the first instance. If there is a fear that the student is in danger of immediate harm then the normal child protection procedures should be followed with an immediate referral to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Designated Assistant Safeguarding Lead. Any other Safeguarding concerns that are non-urgent should be recorded via CPOMS.
The Governing Body’s ‘duty of care’ towards employees, legislation and case law, require them to manage and safeguard the physical and psychological well-being of the school’s employees. We need to have a clear understanding of the causes of absence in order to formulate strategies that address non-attendance (sickness absence). The Governing Body will continue to promote and work towards performance improvement and efficiency, getting the very best from our staff. Well-being in the workplace is relevant to all employees and everyone can contribute to improved well-being at work. Addressing workplace well-being can help strengthen the positive, protective factors of employment, reduce the risk factors for mental ill health and improve general health.
To fulfil this commitment the Governing Body and Senior Leadership Team will:
- Make health and well-being a core priority. Value the strategic importance and benefits of a healthy workplace.
- Make clear the link between employees’ health and well-being and improved performance.
- Ensure all leaders including Senior leaders and Governors, are committed to the health and well-being of staff and act as good role models
- Make communication clear to ensure that staff have realistic expectations of what’s possible, practical and affordable.
- Be aware that a return to work from sickness does not necessarily indicate that an employee’s health and well-being has improved.
- Recruit staff who have the positive leadership traits associated with improved staff health and well-being. These traits include being open and approachable and encouraging new ideas.
- Ensure health and well-being policies are included in any induction, training and development programmes for new staff.
- Have a proactive and visible commitment to health and safety and its role in improving the health and well-being of staff, that is, view health and safety as part of the culture of a caring and supportive employer – not only a statutory requirement.
- Create a supportive environment that enables employees to be proactive when and if possible to protect and enhance their own health and well-being
- Seek to identify potential circumstances that may affect the well-being of staff and conduct risk assessments.
What do we do to identify any well-being issues?
- Whole school well-being surveys – for children, parents and staff
- Parent, teacher, peer and self-identification of needs
- PSHE curriculum in place with well-being focus
- 1.1 support identified
- Group support identified
What do we monitor in school?
- PSHE and well-being sessions timetabled regularly
- 1.1 sessions planned where necessary (Tracey Brandwood to support with this) and SLT to monitor
- Targeted group support is identified for those children who need emotional support
- Regular celebration and reward assemblies recognise achievements in supporting well-being/demonstrating resilience.
- Targeted coordination of academic support where needed
- Whole staff training and support
- Student voice established
- Ongoing development of website well-being page
- Availability of relevant literature around the school (and available on Class Dojo) for children and in reception for parents and visitors
- Whole school and parent events/engagement
- Well-being resources in school suitable for all year groups
- Mental health and well-being days/weeks focusing on specific areas as identified by staff and parents.
- Safeguarding
Strategic Overview
To implement the vision, the Headteacher and Governors committed to appointing Miss Ford to the role of designated lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing. The Mental Health and Wellbeing lead will be responsible for promoting the wellbeing and positive mental health of pupils, staff and parents. She is substantively supported in this role by the Headteacher and SLT, and all will further be supported by the Change Team.
Well-being Strategy
The aim of our strategy is to explain what provision is on offer, how and who will ensure it is offered and when and how this will be monitored. The strategy will be reviewed regularly by the Wellbeing lead and Senior Leadership team.
Aim:
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Accountability:
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Desired Outcomes |
Evaluation and Ongoing Review |
Objective 1The whole school is committed to promoting and protecting emotional well-being and mental health by achieving and maintaining the well-being award Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 1 Theme 2 Theme 3 Understanding my role in promoting emotional well-being and mental health |
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Objective 2The school has a clear vision and strategy for promoting and protecting emotional well-being and mental health Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 2 Understanding the importance of emotional wellbeing and mental health Theme 5 Developing a culture that views mental health positively Theme 6 Encouraging people to talk about mental health issues |
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Objective 3The school has a positive ethos which regards the emotional well-being and mental health as the responsibility of all Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 4 Ensuring emotional well-being and mental health is seen as the responsibility of all Theme 5 Developing a culture that views mental health positively |
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Objective 4The school actively promotes staff emotional well-being and mental health Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 4 Ensuring emotional wellbeing Theme 11 Supporting staff emotional well-being and mental health |
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Objective 5The school prioritises professional development and learning about emotional well-being and mental health Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 7 Promoting professional development and training for emotional wellbeing and mental health Theme 9 Identifying and acting on mental health issues |
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Objective 6The school understands the different types of emotional and mental health needs Pupils, Staff and Parents/Carers Theme 8 Ensuring confidence and capacity among staff in addressing emotional wellbeing and mental health Theme 9 Identifying and acting on mental health issues Theme 10 Supporting pupil emotional well-being and mental health Theme 11 |
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Objective 7The school actively seeks the ongoing participation of the whole school community in its approach to emotional well-being and mental health Theme 12 Engaging the whole school community in emotional wellbeing and mental health issue Theme 9 Identifying and acting on mental health issues |
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Objective 8The school works in partnership with other schools, agencies and available specialist services to support emotional well-being and mental health Theme 12 Engaging the whole school community in emotional wellbeing and mental health issue Theme 9 Identifying and acting on mental health issues |
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