Mental Health and Well-being at Borrow Wood
At Borrow Wood Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We have a supportive and caring ethos and our approach is respectful and kind, where each individual and contribution is valued.
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.
At Borrow Wood we:
- help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- help children socially to form and maintain relationships
- promote self-esteem
- encourage children to be confident
- help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
We promote a mentally healthy environment through:
- Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
- Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
- Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements
- Providing opportunities for children to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
- Providing opportunities to reflect
- Access to appropriate support that meets children’s needs
We pursue our aims through:
- Universal, whole school approaches
- Support for pupils going through recent difficulties including bereavement.
- Specialised, targeted approaches aimed at pupils with more complex or long term difficulties including attachment disorder
Teaching about Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
The skills, knowledge and understanding needed by our pupils to keep themselves mentally healthy and safe are included as part of our PSHE scheme of work PHSE Matters, developed by Derbyshire Health and Wellbeing Consultants. Lessons are taught weekly in a safe and sensitive manner. Additional lessons are sometimes planned, in response to the specific needs of the class/cohort.
In EYFS children follow the PSED strand of the Curriculum.
Assembly themes throughout the year focus on promoting emotional wellbeing.
Worry boxes are established in all classrooms in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, and in Silver Birch, and staff manage children’s worries sensitively on a daily basis.
Additional Support
Additional support is provided for pupils who may have short-term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.
Targeted support
The school will offer support through targeted approaches for individual pupils or groups of pupils which may include:
- ‘Meet and Greet’ for pupils that need support with the transition from home to school
- Learning Mentor time
- Emotional coaching
- Wellbeing and self-esteem groups
- Creative Mentoring
- Personalised support following ‘Wishes and Feelings’ assessments
- Nurture groups/provision
- Managing emotions resources
- Therapeutic activities
Mental Health Award
In December 2020 we were successful in achieving the Silver Carnegie Mental Health in School Award.
The Wellbeing Team
Lead Members of Staff
Whilst all staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health of pupils, staff with a specific, relevant remit include:
Miss Z. Fletcher – Head Teacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Designated Teacher for Looked After Children
Mrs S. Maher – Deputy Head Teacher, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Senior Lead for Mental Health
Mrs N. Lane – SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator)
Mrs C. Merrick – School Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead Governor
Mrs H. Ball – P.H.S.E. Lead, leading on Relationships Education and Health Education
Miss T. Fletcher – Teaching Assistant/Child and Family Support Worker, Attachment Lead, Youth Mental Health First Aider, Safeguarding Team
Mrs M. Dawkins-Smith – Teaching Assistant/Youth Mental Health First Aider
Miss T. Ellis - Teaching Assistant/Attachment Lead, Medical Needs, Safeguarding Team
Mental Health Concern for your Child
The school values the support of parents by working in partnership with them to support their child. If parents have a mental health concern about their child they are most welcome to discuss this with Mrs S. Maher, the Mental Health Lead or any member of the Wellbeing Team.
Mental Health Concern for Yourself
If parents have a mental health concern about themselves, again they are most welcome to discuss this with Mrs S. Maher, the Mental Health Lead, or any member of the Wellbeing Team, who can signpost you to support agencies.
External Agency Support
Please see below details of a range of agencies who can offer advice and support:
Every Mind Matters
A public health England and NHS site to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others.
Anna Freud
Anna Freud's vision is to help create a world where children and families are supported effectively to build on their strengths and to achieve their goals in life.
They have developed a range of tools and services that there to support children, young people and their families in mental health distress. They also have a wide range of training programmes available for professionals and researchers in the latest skills and tools to improve mental health globally.
Website: www.annafreud.org
Bridge the Gap
Founded in 2017, Bridge the Gap are a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the mental health of children, parents and teachers in Derby City and beyond.
Bridge the Gap offer a range of subsided or free drop-in sessions, workshops, courses and training opportunities covering a wide range of issues including emotional development and exploration, behaviour and sleep. They also have mental health professionals who are able to offer 1:1 support for children who are struggling as well as offering private regular parenting consultations and support.
Website - www.jwbridgethegap.com
Phone - 07907 885935
Build Sound Minds
Build Sound Minds (Action for Children) provide specialist early interventionist support for children and young people aged 0-17 (Early years, Primary, Secondary) who are likely to present emotional and mental difficulties but do not meet the thresholds for more specialist services such as CAMHS.
The Build Sound Minds service is commissioned by Derbyshire and Derby City Clinical Commissioning Group. They can therefore accept referrals for any children or young people who are registered with a GP Surgery in the Derbyshire and Derby City CCG area
Website - minds.actionforchildren.org.uk
CAMHS
The child and adolescent mental health service is committed to providing comprehensive and targeted treatments, delivered in the heart of our communities, which positively impact upon the emotional and psychological wellbeing of children and young people.
The specialist CAMHS teams provide services for Derby City residents and employ a range of highly qualified and specialist clinicians and therapists. They maintain close links with adult mental health services, early interventions service, youth offending teams and Breakout, Derby City's young people's substance misuse service. CAMHS assessments and subsequent care delivery are geared towards ensuring speedy access to the right level of service for the individual and family needs. They also provide a flexible out-of-hours service, including after school and evening services.
Website - www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk
Phone - 0300 790 0264
Change4Life
Change4Life is a public health programme in England which began in January 2009, run by Public Health England. It aims to help families make small, sustainable yet significant improvements to their diet and activity levels, with an overall goal of ensuring healthy eating and good diets.
They have a large range of activity ideas, tips, recipes, tools and resources to help families and those around Children and Young People to help them make smart choices regarding their food.
Website: www.nhs.uk/change4life
Child Bereavement UK
'Child Bereavement UK' help children and young people across early years, primary and secondary settings (up to age 25), parents, carers, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
They also provide training to professionals, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Website: www.childbereavementuk.org
National Helpline: 0800 02 888 40
Email Contacts:
General: enquiries@childbereavementuk.org
Helpline: support@childbereavementuk.org
Childline
Childline is a free, private and confidential national service available online and over the phone for anyone under the age of 19. They have a wide range of resources and services that cater to anything a person under the age of 19 may face. These include a free hotline, an email service and 1-2-1 chats with counsellors.
Website - www.childline.org.uk
Phone - 0800 11 11
Contact
Contact is a national charity that provide a range of online, printed and free helpline advice, support and training for the parents and families of disabled children and young people. Their work includes physical and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). Alongside their free helpline, they operate an Online community where parents can chat to other families online about anything and everything that affects their child and family. Contact also run Family Events right across the UK.
Website - www.contact.org.uk
Email - info@contact.org.uk
Phone - 020 7608 7800
Family Lives
Family Lives is a charity with over three decades of experience helping parents to deal with the changes that are a constant part of family life. They provide support for resident parents, grandparents, step-parents and non-resident parents.
Family Lives advises on all aspects of family life including child development, issues with schools and parenting/relationship support. They also provide support around family breakdown, aggression in the home, bullying, risky teenage behaviour and mental health concerns of both parents and their children. They can help you find solutions and recommend further support within their wider services and/or from our many partner organisations.
Family lives provides advice for Early Years, Primary and Secondary.
Website - www.familylives.org.uk
Email - Askus@familylives.org.uk
Helpline - 0800 800 2222
Green Lane – Counselling & Psychotherapy
Green Lane Counselling & Psychotherapy is a paid-for service based at 61 Friar Gate in the centre of Derby which aims to make counselling accessible and affordable for everyone.
They work with clients from the age of 5 upwards.
The initial assessment is £20. The maximum fee per session is £30 for individuals and £40 for couples, with reduced fees being available for anybody who is not able to pay the full fee.
Website - www.greenlanecounselling.co.uk
Telephone - 07977 712027
Email - Enquiries@greenlanecounselling.co.uk
Kooth
Kooth is a free online Mental Health and Wellbeing resource for children and young people aged 11 to 25 in Derby and Derbyshire that requires no formal referral, instead only requiring the user to set up an account on the website. Available 365 days of the year via mobile, tablet and desktop devices from 12 noon to 10pm Monday-Friday and 6pm-10pm at weekends, the service provides access to accredited counselling support, peer support via online forums and relevant articles detailing a variety of topics.
To sign up, visit www.kooth.com
Mermaids
Mermaids provides a helpline aimed at supporting transgender youth up to the age of 19, their families and professionals working with them. The helpline offers; emotional support; a gateway to the parents and teens forums and signposting to training and resources.
The Mermaids Helping is open Monday - Friday, 9AM - 9PM (times may vary on Bank Holidays)
Website - www.mermaidsuk.org.uk
Phone - 0808 801 0400
MindEd
MindEd provides completely free, completely open access, online education, available on tablets, phone or computers - bite-sized chunks of 'e-learning', to help adults to support well-being and identify, understand and support children and young people with mental health issues.
Website - www.minded.org.uk
Mrs Tickly Toes
'Mrs Tickly Toes' is a specialist reflexology service based in Derby for Babies, Children & Adults, with dedicated programmes available for all ages.
Reflexology is a wonderful holistic therapy that can be used to balance the body and promote the body to heal itself. Reflexes on the feet or hands, which mirror parts of the body, are gently stimulated during a treatment. It is commonly used to help with; Relaxation, Release of tension, Improved sleep, Improved mood and Overall wellbeing.
Beginning with an initial consultation, a complete treatment plan will be designed and made bespoke for you.
Mrs Tickly Toes also offers a bespoke Schools Programme plan, aimed at Primary or Secondary Age children, which can be viewed here - www.mrsticklytoes.co.uk/schoolsprogramme
Please contact Heather Salt (Mrs Tickly Toes) for more information here:
Website - www.mrsticklytoes.co.uk (email contact form on the site)
Phone - 07793 535 852
National Autistic Society
Founded in 1962, the 'National Autistic Society' are the UK’s leading charity for autistic people and their families. Their goal is to help transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people.
Their website contains a wide range of information and resources designed to help schools, families, individuals, children and adults who may have autism, either directly or associationally.
Website: www.autism.org.uk
Phone: 0808 800 4104 (Helpline - 10am – 12pm and 1pm - 3pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)
Papyrus
Papyrus is a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. They exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
Papyrus provide a confidential support and advice service for young people (Primary, Secondary or otherwise) who are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or for anyone worried about a young person. Papyrus also engage communities and volunteers in suicide prevention projects and deliver training programmes to individuals and groups. This includes equipping local councils, healthcare professionals and school staff (teachers, school managers/leaders) with suicide prevention skills.
Website - https://papyrus-uk.org
Phone - 0800 068 41 41 (Text - 0778 620 9697)
Email - PAT@papyrus-uk.org
Relate
Relate Counselling Relate Derby has been commissioned by NHS England to provide counselling services for free to residents of Derby and Derbyshire.
Due to social distancing measures, services are being delivered remotely via video call and telephone. The services available are:
• Support for children and young people’s (age 5 – 8 years) emotional health and wellbeing
• Counselling for people affected by Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
The free Relate telephone helpline (0808 178 9363) has also been extended and is now running on Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.00am – 1.00pm. The helpline gives people the opportunity to speak directly to an experienced Relate trained counsellor, without having to make an appointment.
For further information contact 01332 349177 or 07741193484 or email info@relatederby.org.uk
SafeSpeak
SafeSpeak is a confidential service run by Relate for children and young people. SafeSpeak offer a safe place to talk to a specialist counsellor about anything that’s worrying children and young people aged 5-18 years.
They also operate a LiveChat service for those who prefer chatting online or can't attend face-to-face.
**SafeSpeak is now a paid for service**
Website - SafeSpeak
Phone - 01332 349117
Sunshine Support
If you are a parent/carer or professional who's responsible for a child or young person with special educational needs, then Sunshine Suppport are there to help. They provide independent information, advice and support to parents/carers and professionals of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN, SEND).
The provision includes access to independent SEND professionals whose specialisms cannot usually be provided through local government and health authorities.
Website - www.sunshine-support.org
Contact - www.sunshine-support.org/contact
Winston’s Wish
Winston’s Wish supports bereaved children, young people, their families, and the professionals who support them. They were the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity and have been supporting bereaved children since 1992.
They provide specialist child bereavement support services across the UK. This includes in-depth therapeutic support in individual, group and residential settings, as well as a Freephone National Helpline, training for professionals and specialist publications.
Website: www.winstonswish.org
Helpline: 08088 020 021
Email contacts:
General: info@winstonswish.org
Support: ask@winstonswish.org
TalkTime (Action for Children)
Talktime is a child-focused early intervention support service working with Primary and Secondary school children (between the ages of 4 and 18) and their families, where the children are unhappy or emotionally distressed. Operated by Action for Children, referrals may include: Loss, Self-Harm, Bullying, Friendship Issues or children who have witnessed domestic violence.
Action for Children Information Leaflet
Phone - 01246 277422
Young Minds
Young Minds works closely with young people and their families to campaign on issues which impact on young people's mental health.
They operate a range of services including a helpline offering free advice and support to any adult who's worried about the behaviour or mental health of a young person.
Young Minds also offers training and consultancy to professional who with children - including teachers, doctors, and mental health services.
Website - https://youngminds.org.uk
Phone - 0808 802 5544