Wellbeing
Welcome to Wainscott’s newly installed Wellbeing page. Wainscott are on an exciting journey to embed wellbeing through our whole school community.
Wellbeing Lead: Beckie Worsfold
At Wainscott as part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing, Wainscott has a member of the team dedicated to promoting this throughout the school. Mrs Worsfold is our Wellbeing Lead and is a key part of building our link between home and school.
If you have concerns about your child's emotional wellbeing, in the first instance, you should speak with your child's class teacher, as they know your child best. However, there may be times when you need to speak to someone else and Mrs Worsfold is available to speak with parents and carers, as well as children, about their worries.
Definition of Wellbeing: Mental wellbeing describes your mental state - how you are feeling and how well you can cope with day-to-day life. Our mental wellbeing is dynamic. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year (Mind, 2019).
At Wainscott Primary School, we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all our children. We know that children have the right to be provided with a creative, innovative and exciting education that will inspire them to become enthusiastic lifelong learners who are proud of everything they do. We want every child to excel within an inclusive environment. We keep children at the focus of everything we do and uphold the right to an education for all. There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with their learning. We recognise the need to support children through these difficult times.
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At our school we:
- Help children to understand their emotions and feelings.
- Help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries.
- Help children socially in order to form and maintain friendships and relationships.
- Promote self-esteem within our children.
- Encourage children to be confident and persevere.
- Help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
We offer different levels of wellbeing support at Wainscott:
Universal support – To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. This can be part of the whole class approach linked to Quality First Teaching , they are given additional support through differentiation, as well as daily resources within a whole class setting, such as feelings cards, mindfulness, brain breaks etc.
Targeted Support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions. These can be short term needs such as; ELSA, Alumina,emotional regulation, social story groups etc.
Individual support - For pupils who need a specific 1:1 intervention such as; referrals to outsides agencies such as; school nurse, outreach services and emotional wellbeing practitioner or NEFLT.
The following are a range of assessments available to the Inclusion Team and Teachers to support the wellbeing of our children;
- Alumina
- ELSA (Emotional Literacy support)
- Boxall Profile
- Speech and Language Support
- Sensory Circuits
- Fizzy/Beam
- 1:1 sessions of emotional literacy
- Family Support Worker
- PSHE Lessons (Jigsaw)
- Mindfulness lessons
- Circle Time
- Social Skills Groups
- Emotional regulation
- Nurture Group/Lunchtime Group
- School Nurse
- Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner
- Medway's Outreach Services
- Youth Mental Health First Aid trained staff
- Educational Psychologist
Here are some further external websites to support your child and family.
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Place2Be - Improving Children's Mental Health
Improving children’s mental health in schools – Place2Be
Young Minds
YoungMinds - children and young people's mental health charity
NELFT/CAMHS – Mental health concerns
Medway Young Persons Well-being Service is available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week if you are concerned about yourself or another’s mental health and well-being. Please call 03000 300 1981.
MindEd for Families – really helpful website with information on all kinds of mental health problems and queries for parents and families.
Family Lives – lots of useful information on parenting etc.
The Contented Child – useful resource – holding webinars and training for parents to manage emotional regulation in children and resources on ASD
Autism Apprentice – information and support specifically about Autism.
Kent Autistic Trust – helpful website with information about Autism
Space 2 be me – support for parents and families
CXK get connected programme – training and support for young people and their families.
Involve Kent Connect programme – sessions for young people with Autism to meet others with Autism and build confidence.
For young people themselves:
The Mix – good information website for YP themselves under age of 25 for all kinds of worries and anxieties.
Kooth – Wainscott Primary School encourages students to access Kooth – a free online service offering emotional and mental health support for children and young people. Kooth offers counselling, activities and forums for students to express themselves on a platform that is safeguarded by a team of professionals. Regular parents and caregivers webinars are available for further information.
Useful Books
- ‘Help! I’ve Got An Alarm Bell Going Off In My Head!’ by K.L. Aspden
- ‘The Whole-Brain Child’ by Dr Daniel J. Siegel and Dr Tina Payne Bryson
- ‘The Strength Switch’ by Dr Lea Waters
- ‘What To Do When You Worry Too Much’ by Dawn Huebner
- ‘What To Do When Your Temper Flares’ by Dawn Huebner
- ‘The Survival Guide For Kids With Autism Spectrum Disorders’ by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve M.D.
- ‘Aspergirls’ by Rudy Simone
- "The Invisible String" Patrice Karst