Mental Health and Well-being
The World Health Organisation states that "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" and that "mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."
Mental health and well-being are fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, feel, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life and the promotion, protection and restoration of mental health is a vital concern of individuals and communities. At Wadebridge School we feel that good mental health and well-being can best be realised through creating a whole school culture that seeks to promote positive relationships throughout our community and implementing targeted and specific actions to promote the health and well-being of our students, parents and staff. In July 2020 we were delighted that this whole school ethos was acknowledged as the school received a Gold Award from the
Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools for our work in this filed; the full report can be read
School Mental Health Award 2020. In November 2023, we were once again very proud to this highest standard of award as an endorsement of our work in this increasingly important field; the full 2023 report can be accessed here -
School Mental Health Award 2023.
We consider Wadebridge School to be a trauma informed school (TIS). We are aware that many children have lived through adverse childhood experiences and that these experiences can have a traumatic impact on children and lead to troubled behaviour becoming a barrier to learning. We have 5 non-teaching professionals who are diploma qualified TIS practitioners able to provide one:one support to pupils.In June 2021 the school welcomed consultants from
Headstart Kernow and
TIS UK to audit the school's provision. This was a very positive process which identified many areas of strength, the overall assessment reads as follows:
Wadebridge is a truly warm, caring and inclusive school. Students consistently talked about the support for wellbeing that they receive here and the way in which adults help them. Students have access to emotionally available adults and know where to find them. These adults are well trained and have a good understanding of best ways to support children. The school makes effective use of motional to monitor student’s needs and to establish bespoke programmes/ interventions for them. The senior leadership team model positive relationships including PACE and are fully invested in students, staff and parents. The wellbeing of all these stakeholders comes first and there is a strong awareness of the need to provide psychological safety within the environment and attachment to adults if students are to achieve their best. School leaders are passionate about the students and the wellbeing of all those associated with the school. Their commitment, visibility and willingness to actively support wellbeing is what makes this such a core aspect of the culture of the school, and makes the school such a positive place to be.
The full report can be accessed
here.
The school's policy on promoting positive mental health can be accessed
here.
At Wadebridge School we are committed to making the promotion positive mental health and wellbeing everybody's business, a brief summary of our work has been celebrated in this Department for Education blog.
The school is has two colleagues who have successfully completed extensive training as Senior Mental Health Leads:
A range of clinically robust counselling options,
Financial, legal and practical
support from qualified professionals on a range of personal issues
Access to online health and
wellbeing resources and a specialist information service
A
dedicated coaching service for line managers, aimed at developing soft
skills and building confidence for handling challenging situations.
A number of staff in school have undergone training and have joined the Orange Button Scheme; these colleagues can be identified by the Orange Button badge on their lanyards and email signatures.
Headmeds is a website designed to give information relating to mental health conditions and medication.
Schools in Mind is a free network for school staff and other professionals with a range of resources regarding well being and mental health issues that affect schools.
At Wadebridge School we have a dedicated team of colleagues who work as our Health Champions. Their role is to promote and encourage a positive work environment through supporting staff with their health and wellbeing. As well as running a range of initiatives to encourage mutual care and support (e.g. secret buddies, STAR awards, social events, sports) the team also look to support staff in their own working practices through delivering training aimed at developing reflective working habits. A number of the Health Champions team are trained in Adult Mental Health First Aid enabling them to identify warning signs that someone may be experiencing mental health problems. Alongside this the Health Champions provide colleagues with sign-posting to information relating to health and wellbeing including details of local organisations that focus on specific issues. These are primarily highlighted through regularly updated communications such as noticeboards, newsletters and a dedicated webpage. Examples of the newsletters can be accessed below:
Autumn 1 2022 Autumn 2 2022 Spring 1 2023 Spring 2 2023 Summer 1 2023 Summer 2 2023
Autumn 1 2021 Autumn 2 2021 Spring 1 2022 Spring 2 2022 Summer 1 2022 Summer 2 2022
Autumn 1 2020 Autumn 2 2020 Spring 1 2021 Spring 2 2021 Summer 1 2021 Summer 2 2021
Autumn 1 2019 Autumn 2 2019 Spring 1 2020 Spring 2 2020
Autumn 1 2018 Autumn 2 2018 Spring 1 2019 Spring 2 2019 Summer 2019
Autumn 2017 Spring Term 2018 Summer 1 2018 Summer 2 2018
Factsheets and information
Positive steps to wellbeing Let's get physical Mindful Yoga
Anxiety How to overcome anxiety and fear Understanding anxiety and panic attacks
How to look after your mental health how to be mentally healthy at work
Emotional resilience toolkit U can cope
Tips for dealing with exam time
Self Help Recordings:
Please do not listen to any of these recordings if you are driving, in a moving vehicle, whilst operating machinery or at any other time where you need to maintain a state of full conscious awareness. The best way to listen and get the most out of the recordings is when you are lying down on a sofa or bed, or sitting comfortably on a chair, making sure there are no distractions around you.
5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation - Take 5 minutes out of your day to relax, unwind, focus and clear your head. Daily practice of mindfulness is good for your mental and emotional health and well-being.
Guided Visualisation for Unwinding and letting go of Stress - This guided visualisation will take you on a little journey through a forest, helping you feel calmer, relaxed and more in control of your thoughts and feelings by the end of it.
Help to Fall Asleep at Night - If you are struggling to fall asleep at night or you find your mind becomes overactive the minute your head hits the pillow, then listening to this recording can help to distract your conscious mind and allow you to drift off in to a restful sleep.
Relieve Tension in the Body - Aching muscles? Tension Headache? Feeling Uptight? Listen to this recording to help you relax your body and mind and relieve tension.
Learn to Relax - Guided Relaxation - Total mind and Body Relaxation. Start or end your day by giving yourself the gift of 20 minutes blissful relaxation. You're worth it!
Calm Down in 5 Minutes - Listen to this recording if you are feeling panicky, upset, angry, emotional or just need to calm down in general.
All Recordings made for Wadebridge School by Cornwall Hypno. Click here for more information.
Wadebridge School
