Emotional health and wellbeing
In this core theme the school promotes positive emotional health and wellbeing to help pupils understand and express their feelings and build their confidence and emotional resilience and therefore their capacity to learn.
At last! Recognition for the importance of EHWB with the introduction of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum. Right there at the core of the primary curriculum. And for secondary schools too.
SEAL in the primary school is at the heart of this core theme, but not to the exclusion of all else. Consideration needs to be given to behaviour and rewards policies, support mechanisms for staff and pupils and opportunities to participate. We have experience of working with SEAL. We are also liaising closely with the Behaviour and Attendance Team, email Neil Goddard for more information.
Bullying
Anti-Bullying Cornwall, now known as Cornwall Anti-bullying Harassment Services Consortium (CABHSC) does terrific work in schools, including policy development.
For lots of ideas and techniques to tackle bullying, see Bullying: don't suffer in silence.
The Teachernet website has collected some materials to help counter homophobic bullying in schools.
A caring and respectful school ethos
Through Jenny Mosley's Quality Circle Time programme, children and teachers are empowered to create a caring and respectful school ethos. The website provides lots of resources, free games and other materials.
Support during the grieving process
Throughout their lives everyone will experience loss such as a family breakdown or the death of a relative or friend. Accordingly, school communities need to support children who are facing loss in one of its many forms.
The Child Bereavement Charity describes itself as the UK’s leading charity that supports families and educates professionals both when a child dies and when a child is bereaved. The Child Bereavement Charity's website hosts a comprehensive schools section with topics including introducing bereavement into the curriculum (containing some lesson plans), terminally-ill children at school and putting together a policy.
The TACADE resource Life changes: loss, change and bereavement for children aged 3-11 contains an insight into children's understanding and responses to change, together with guidance on the school's response, including classroom activities, ideas for assemblies and much, much more. We have a loan copy of this resource which we lend to schools in Cornwall, contact us if you'd like to use it.
Penhaligon's Friends is a Cornish charity that supports bereaved children, their parents and carers.
It's not your fault!
This Action for Children website is for children, young people and their parents and provides practical information to help during a family break-up.
Personal safety
Protective Behaviours UK is a charity promoting a practical down to earth approach to personal safety for individuals, families and communities of all ages and backgrounds. The Protective Behaviours website gives resources, details of training and much more.
Self-esteem for girls
Cool to be me is a website set up by three campaigners who believe that the media gives narrow and damaging messages to girls by celebrating ideals of unobtainable beauty over real achievement. The Cool to be me campaigners believe that role models are important and they celebrate women with skills, ambitions and strengths that go beyond just looking pretty, being thin and having money.
Making it mainstream
Making it mainstream aims to provide a brief resource for secondary school staff who are interested in developing sustainable in-school support for pupils with mental health problems, particularly depression. It brings together information from the policy context, the research field and the practice-learning context.