Hextable Primary School

Happy, Positive, Successful Life-Long Learners

Wellbeing at Hextable Primary

Mental Health and Wellbeing

 

Wellbeing is at the heart of our education. As part of our ethos to be happy, positive, successful, life-long learners, we aim to promote a positive mental health and wellbeing environment for our whole school community.

At Hextable Primary School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community, children, staff, parents and carers alike.

We understand the importance of positive mental health and understand that this is just as important as physical health. We recognise that good wellbeing is key to a child’s development; emotionally, physically and educationally.

We aim to promote emotional resilience and support children to develop strategies and equip them with a toolkit to regulate their emotions.

We promote a ‘Ready to learn’ environment by ensuring that the children have time and space to use these strategies and toolkit effectively

Feed the HEART

to 

Feed the BRAIN

 

 

Wellbeing leaflet

How will my child be supported at Hextable Primary School? 

 

We support children’s mental health in school in a number of different ways: Our staff thrive to build strong relationships to support the children’s wellbeing.

Quality First Teaching/Whole School Approach 

  • 5 Point Scale
  • Relationships with key adults
  • Regulation Stations
  • RSE/PSHE
  • Peer Mentoring
  • Check In’s
  • Extra-Curricular Activities

School Based Interventions 

  • Draw and Talk
  • ELSA
  • Walk and Talk
  • Lunch Bunch
  • Lego Therapy
  • Reading to Dogs
  • Wellbeing Support
  • Young Carers
  • Nurture Interventions
  • Friendship Interventions
  • Play Therapy

Outside Referrals

  • Early Help
  • Educational Psychology
  • CAMHs
  • We are Beams
  • Counselling

What should I do if I have concerns about my child?

Step 1

The provision, care and education of your child begins with the class teacher. The first step in addressing any concerns you may have, is to meet with the class teacher. You can contact members of staff via email.

Step 2

Your child’s class teacher will discuss different options with you of how best to support your child. This may include quality first teaching strategies, interventions or in some cases referring directly to the wellbeing team.

Step 3

Quality first teaching and interventions will be monitored by the class teacher and wellbeing team with feedback provided to you on how your child is progressing. If further support is required this will be discussed in an ongoing dialogue between you and the child’s teacher.

Step 4

During the whole process and the ongoing discussions, your concerns will be shared with our school SENCO to ensure your child receives the best care, support and nurture throughout their education at Hextable Primary School.

Useful Strategies and Information

5 – 4 – 3 – 2- 1

Grounding Exercise

The 5 senses grounding exercise is a tool that helps relieve anxiety symptoms and panic attacks. The 54321 method can be used as a practical way to calm anxiety by isolating each of your senses through observation. Using your senses is a great way to reconnect with your body when you feel overwhelmed, having difficulty concentrating, or feel anxious. 

5 - Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. It can be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.

4 - Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet.

3 - Acknowledge THREE things you hear. This could be any external sound. 

2- Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. 

1 - Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

 

5 Point Scale

 

 The 5 Point Scale can be used to assist children in becoming aware of their emotions, such as anger or pain, and the stage or level of the emotion.

At Hextable Primary School we use the 5-point sclae with all of the children in the following ways:

1 - To allow the child to check in every morning as they arrive in school regarding how they are feeling

2- A tool to support children when their emotions have escalated to a number 5 and they need to bring their emotions and feelings back to a number 1.

How to use a 5 Point Scale Leaflet

5 Point Scale

5 Point Scale Rating 

5 Ways to Wellbeing

These 5 steps can help imporve your mental health and wellbeing. 

Connect 

Connecting with the people around us is a great way to remind ourselves that we're important and valued by others.

Be Active

By making sure we are regularly moving our bodies, we can look after our mental and physical health at the same time.

Take Notice

Taking notice of things we're grategul for, big or small, is a great way to boost our mood and appreciate our surroundings.

Keep Learning

Learning new things is a good way to meet new people and boost our self confidence. which in turn imporves our mental health and wellbeing.

Give

Acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by creating postive feelings and a sense of reward.

Where Can I Get Help From?

Anxiety

Feeling anxious is a perfectly natural reaction to lots of situations and something that most people experience at different times throughout their lives. Children might exhibit anxious behaviours but might not be able to identify the feeling. The links below look at strategies to help them talk about their concerns and give tips on how to help them cope:

Bereavement

Children who are impacted by the loss of a loved one may react differently to an adult, but their need for support is just as great. Below you will find links to resources from some of the main organisations which have been set up to help us guide a child through this difficult time:

Big Feelings

As adults, we can usually identify how we are feeling and can self-regulate enough to handle our emotions. This kind of emotional intelligence can be very tricky for children, but the good news is that this is a skill that can be taught. Below are links to various websites and resources which will help you and your child to identify their feelings and give some techniques to help:

 Meet The Team

 

  • Mrs Hammond - Deputy Head/SENCO
  • Miss Sutton - Wellbeing Lead
  • Miss Hammond - Pupil Support
  • Miss Smith - Nurture
  • Mrs Judd - Pupil Support
  • Mrs Rolfe - Pupil Support
  • Miss Ellsley - ELSA

Please contact wellbeing@hextable-primary.kent.sch.uk for further information.