Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Spring Gardens Primary School we are working closely with Connect North Tyneside Mental Health Support Team to support our families and children. We are running a course for parents and children in the Autumn Term which is part of the evidence-based model of ‘Friends Resilience’.
What is it?
This course gives adults the skills to manage the many challenging situations we all face throughout our lives e.g. changes in relationships, managing health issues, loss and financial difficulties.
Why groupwork?
We know it helps to discuss these challenges with others who have experienced or who are experiencing similar challenges.
Building a support system of people who understand during challenging times is key to helping you to get through these times.
When will we meet and for how often?
The group will meet weekly in school for six to eight weeks during the school day at Spring Gardens.
We plan to run a group for your child alongside this course for adults to support their emotional wellbeing too and to learn the techniques together that will help to get through difficult periods.
We will initially be focusing on children and families in Year 4 in autumn 2022. We will keep you informed about the groups in due course
This year we are running our first Wildlife for Wellbeing club.
Connecting with nature is not just about the amount of time we spend outdoors; it is also about building a relationship with nature by noticing and becoming sensitive to what is around us. We use our senses to do this– such as noticing the different cloud shapes in the sky, smelling the scents of flowers and listening to the birds chirping in the trees.
Please follow the links below to find out more about improving wellbeing by spending time in nature.
Mind-Nature and Mental Health Guide
As a school we are involved in a project alongside other schools in North
Tyneside to adopt a whole school approach to mental health & wellbeing.
We know that 50% of mental health issues are established by age 14 and the scale of the problem is clear. We’ve long been at a point where fewer words and more actions are needed to address the ever-deepening crisis in children’s mental health.
One part of the solution is ensuring that we create mentally healthy environments for young people from the outset. And it’s here that a ‘whole school’ approach can help.
This means school staff, parents, governors and children working collaboratively to prioritise wellbeing in every area of school life. It involves giving everyone a voice and looking at the school culture, its curriculum, staff policies, links to local services and training needs – all in the interest of creating a supportive community where everyone can thrive.
We have a staff training programme in place in which staff are training to become Mental Health First Aiders and other staff, Mental Health Awareness Champions. We endeavour to ensure that all staff in school are trained to at least Mental Health Awareness Champions over the next two years.
The wellbeing and emotional health of our children, staff and families is fundamental to our school to ensure we care for each other, so we can be successful during this difficult time and for the future.
Parents and carers were asked to complete a survey in December 2020 to share views. This information has been collated by the Local Authority and we are in the process of creating an action plan to move forward and focus on any areas that we need to improve upon.
Thank you for all your support
Mrs Wankowicz is our Senior Mental Health Lead.
Mr Jones, Mrs Wankowicz, Mrs Royle, Mrs Campbell and Mrs Chambers are qualified Mental health first aiders. As a school we have adopted a whole school approach to mental health & wellbeing.
We know that 50% of mental health issues are established by age 14 and the scaleof the problem is clear. We’ve long been at a point where fewer words and more actions are needed to address the ever-deepening crisis in children’s mental health.
One part of the solution is ensuring that we create mentally healthy environments for young people from the outset. And it’s here that a ‘whole school’ approach can help.
This means school staff, parents, governors and children working collaboratively to prioritise wellbeing in every area of school life. It involves giving everyone a voice and looking at the school culture, its curriculum, staff policies, links to local services and training needs – all in the interest of creating a supportive community where everyone can thrive.
The wellbeing and emotional health of our children, staff and families is fundamental to our school to ensure we care for each other, so we can be successful during this difficult time and for the future.
Parents and carers were asked to complete a survey in December 2020 to share views. This information has been collated by the Local Authority and we are in the process of creating an action plan to move forward and focus on any areas that we need to improve upon.
Thank you for all of your support
Further information and support;
For further support in the local area and links to other organisations, North Tyneside Council’s website can be a really good starting point.
Alternatively, the NHS has a range of self help guides. Further information or how to download the Self Help APP can be found here