At Silchester, we are committed to supporting the holistic needs of each child, with a strong focus on positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. Throughout every moment of every day, wellbeing is prioritised. It take particular focus on the first Wednesday of each month which is affectionatly know as 'Wellbeing Wednesday!'
Nurturing the Whole Child - We believe that a child's wellbeing is just as important as their academic progress. We recognise the vital role that positive mental health plays in a child's ability to thrive and reach their full potential. Our dedicated team of teachers and support staff work tirelessly to create an environment where every pupil feels safe, supported, and empowered to be confidently themselves.
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing - To equip our pupils with the skills and strategies they need for lifelong emotional wellbeing, we refer to the '5 Ways to Wellbeing' across our school. This evidence-based approach encourages children to:
- Connect with others, building strong relationships and a sense of community
- Take Notice of the world around them, cultivating mindfulness and appreciation
- Be Active through regular physical activity and exercise
- Keep Learning new skills and hobbies to stimulate the mind
- Give to others, fostering a spirit of kindness and compassion
Brain Boxes and Emotional Regulation - In every classroom at SIlchester, you'll find a 'Brain Box' filled with sensory toys and resources to help children during times of emotional dysregulation. These Brain Boxes empower our pupils to take ownership of their own wellbeing, teaching them healthy coping mechanisms and self-regulation techniques.
At Silchester, we firmly believe that supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our school community is a shared responsibility. We work collaboratively to ensure that every child, parent, and staff member feels valued, respected, and cared for. At the heart of Silchester School is a deep commitment to the wellbeing of our pupils. By nurturing the whole child, equipping them with the '5 Ways to Wellbeing', and fostering a culture of compassion and support, we strive to help each child develop the resilience, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence they need to thrive, both in and out of the classroom.
At Silchester Church of England Primary School, we take great pride in our commitment to emotional wellbeing and mental health for children and staff. We recognise that a person’s mental health and overall wellbeing can affect their learning and achievement and therefore are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of everyone in our school community. Through our core Christian Values of Compassion, Courage and Respect we want all children and staff to feel safe, happy and have a strong sense of belonging.
We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. Therefore, a key aspect of 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 can affect 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.
What we provide
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1:1 targeted work helping children
- to understand their emotions and feelings better
- to build trusted, nurturing relationships in order to
- feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- to manage feelings in positive ways, including relaxation and mindfulness
- socially to form and maintain relationships
- improve self-esteem and ensure children know that they count
- develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
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Small group targeted support to children, including friendship and social skills groups.
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Wellbeing Wednesdays – 1st Wednesday of every month we have a worship dedicated to ways we can improve our wellbeing - “Bucket Filling!”
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Class wellbeing lessons, covering themes such as self-awareness, emotional awareness, and building resilience.
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School worry boxes for all children to use
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Staff training and support on mental health and wellbeing
Links and resources:
Hampshire CAMHS has ideas for supporting children and young people from an early stage through to referral:
https://hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk/help/parents-carers/
Resources families might like to use from Hampshire Local Authority:
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Place2Be - ‘supporting your child's mental health’ :
YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
Autism Hampshire offer local help – creating a better future for autistic people:
https://www.autismhampshire.org.uk/
For adults:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services
This link lists all support available in Hampshire for adults:
https://www.connecttosupporthampshire.org.uk/mentalhealth’
Hampshire have created a resource for parents on good mental health. To access the FREE resource, please click the link below:
the-good-mental-health-handbook.pdf
https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/childrenandfamilies/back-to-basics#notice-block