Scholes Village Primary School

Mental Health and Wellbeing      

At Scholes Village Primary School, we have a dedicated wellbeing team:

 We are the Wellbeing Warriors! 

We work together to support the mental health and wellbeing for our school.

Mental Health and Children

At Scholes Village Primary School, we recognise that short-term stress and worry is a normal part of life and many issues can be experienced as mild or transitory challenges for some children and their families. Others will experience more serious and longer lasting effects. The same experience can have different effects on different children, depending on other factors in their life. For example, it is normal for children to feel nervous or under stress around exam times but other factors can make such stress part of an enduring and persisitent mental health problem for some children. When a problem is particularly severe or persisitent over time, or when a number of these difficulties are experienced at the same time, children are often described as experiencing mental health problems. Where children experience a range of emotional and behavioural problems that are outside the normal range for their age, they might be described as having mental health problems or disorders. 

Mental health professionals have classified these as:

-Emotional disorders: For example, phobias, anxiety states and depression. 

-Conduct disorders: For example, stealing, defiance, fire-setting, aggression and anti-social behaviour.

-Hyperkinetic disorders: For example, disturbance of activity and attention.

-Developmental disorders: For exammple, delay in acquiring certain skills such as speach, social ability or bladder control. Primarily affecting children with autism and those with pervasive developmental disorders. 

-Attachment disorders: For example, children who are markedly distressed or socially impaired as a result of an extremely abnormal pattern of attachment to parents or major caregivers. 

-Trauma disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of traumatic experiences or persistent periods of abuse and neglect. 

-Other mental health problems including eating disorders, habit disorders, somatic disorders and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and maic depressive disorder.

We understand that only approriately trainder professionals should attempt to make a diagnosis of a mental health problem.

School staff may instead observe children day to day and could identify those whose behaviour suggests that they maybe experiencing a mental health problem or be at risk of developing one. This may include withdrawn pupils whose needs maybe otherwise unrecognised.

Support in School

Staff in school have strategies in place for supporting children with mental health and wellbeing difficulties. 

Below are actions school will take if their is an emerging issue for a child in school:

1. The child or a member of staff will speak to the Senior Mental Health Lead about the issue.

2. The SMHL will meet with other relevant members of staff and possibly parents to quickly decide the next course of action. 

3. Next, there are 3 main outcomes: 

- The situation is escascalated and a refferal is made to the appropriate body for support. The child will continue to be monitored in school and interventions will be in place if appropriate until professional advice is gained. 

- The child's needs can be met in school with specific interventions and support. The team will discuss this with parents and a review date will arranged.

- The child is displaying behaviour within the norm of typical development and will continue to have their needs met in school without the need for intervention or alternative provision. 

What we do daily to support wellbeing in school

PSHE Lessons        Meet and Greet       Worry Boxes       Daily Check-in Systems     Mental Health Assemblies    

Calm Corners      Family Wellbeing Days      Emotion Coaching      Zones of Regulation

Befrienders      Play Leaders       Fortnightly Wellbeing Tips

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