At Stonham Aspal CEVA Primary School our aim is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (pupils, staff, parents and carers), and recognise that mental health and wellbeing is as important to our lives as our physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement.

 

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that:

“in order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”.

 

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 full 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 affects their mental health and where to go if they need help and support.

 

Our aim is to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and to be a school where:

• All children are valued
• All families are valued
• All staff members and Governors are valued
• Children have a sense of belonging and feel safe
• Children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems
• Positive mental health is promoted and valued
• Bullying is not tolerated

 

If you are worried about your child's mental health you can talk about this with your GP or in confidence to a member of staff.

 

Suffolk Mind recently shared a Sammy the Sea Squirt mental health and movement session with children in Reception, 1 and 2. This session encouraged children to link the benefits of movement with good mental health based on the Suffolk Mind's first story book.

Sammy the Sea Squirt learns that moving helps with memory and emotions while meeting other ocean friends along the way. Sammy moves to keep their brain healthy. The book helps children understand the importance of being active at an early age, in an age appropriate and engaging way.

The children had a great time.

Sammy the Sea Squirt

 

 

The following video was shared by Suffolk Mind of Sammy the Sea Squirt. 

//www.youtube.com/embed/0PA5SKCV_rw#t=0.5

 

 

Below are some links that you may find useful and then some wellbeing activities.

 

Wellbeing Suffolk offer help and support to improve wellbeing and manage stress, low mood and anxiety. 

 

Healthy Suffolk is a hub with links to many organisations which offer support to young people and their families for a wide range of concerns.

 

Suffolk Mind works across the continuum, from wellbeing to ‘severe and enduring’ mental ill-health, providing support & information for everyone.

 

If you are a parent or carer of a young person, you can use ChatHealth to seek help, advice or support about a range of issues which maybe affecting you or your child.

Text a School Nurse on 07507 333356

Texts are charged at your standard network rate. The service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, excluding bank holidays.

 

"The Suffolk Says Thanks campaign launched in June 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and more specifically the need for improving people’s emotional wellbeing through recognising everyday acts of kindness."

 

Wellbeing Activities

 

Suffolk Says Thanks says- There are five ways that can help boost our wellbeing and each of these actions makes a positive difference in how we feel.

Find a physical activity that you enjoy, go for a walk, try gardening, try and increase the amount of movement in your day, dance around the kitchen, but most of all try and have fun while doing it.

With your friends, family, neighbours and people at work. Have a conversation, pass the time of day, make time for that chat. Connect with the world around you.

Smile, do something nice for a friend or neighbour, make some time for others – giving helps both you and the person receiving.

Try something new. whether it’s making a new recipe, fixing the bike, or even signing up for a course or learning about yourself and starting to feel comfortable about who you are as a person.

Take the time to look at the day, the changing seasons. Savour the moment. Take notice of how people are feeling around you, how you are feeling.

 

Suffolk Mind says- Learn to breathe like a dragon.

 (Videos that follow after this are not controlled by school, and care should be taken when being watched by children)