Mental Health and Wellbeing Summary End of Year 2024-Stoke Hill Federation.
To maintain the focus on mental health and wellbeing this academic year we have:
● Identified a member of staff to train as mental health lead for the Federation, Government funding has ensured training via Place 2be and is complete.
● Mental health lead training incorporated completing an audit of mental health and well-being for all stakeholders and devising actions to target areas of development.
● Identified a class teacher who worked alongside AHOS to maintain a mental health and well-being focus in the school when HeadsUp isn’t based with us.
● AHOS maintained contact with HeadsUp which led to securing their support in the summer term. 24 children are currently supported via group and 1:1 session across the Juniors.
● Mental Health Ambassadors have devised a timetable of lunchtime clubs offering peer to peer support. Mindfulness colouring sessions are particularly popular.
● Mental Health Ambassadors training commenced after school as part of a 5-week training programme to train fifteen Y5 pupils to enable them to run wellbeing clubs during lunchtimes for Autumn 2024.
● Mental health Ambassadors from Y6 are trained and run several clubs during the lunch break in the Junior school to support fellow pupils. Most popular include mindfulness colouring and Art.
● Zones of regulation CPD and initial implementation across the Federation. Positive engagement from all classes with all rooms depicting zones of regulation visuals to support self-regulation and use language.
● Small group of Y2 pupils identified to take part in the Pyramid Project in partnership with Exeter University. This is to support anxiety, self-esteem and transition. The data from this project will be used by Exeter University to measure the impact of the initiative particularly on infant pupils.
● Co-adventurers continue to support a pupil with complex needs twice weekly and. Part of the support is to aid social, emotional regulation.
● Bilingual support takes place across both schools while the initial focus was to support EAL pupils and speaking English has contributed significantly to the wellbeing and confidence of pupils (6 pupils currently receive support). One pupil in the infants benefitted from this hugely and alongside the self-esteem boost academic progress has followed.
● Purchased a polytunnel to develop learning in the natural environment and the benefits this can bring to health and well-being.
● Developed the PTFA to increase community events and an inclusive community promoting wellbeing and connecting the wider community.
● (Firework display/festival of light event, winter fair, weekly cake sale, Summer Fair,
● Initiated a partnership with ‘Well-being Exeter’ to promote the ‘Live and Move’ initiative across our community. Stay and play dates trialled to enable the team to ascertain what physical activities families would like to take part in. Recognising the benefits of active lifestyles on physical and mental health.
● Two courses of family learning in partnership with Learn Devon for Carer and child to cook and eat together. Exploring healthy options that not only taste good but can boost wellbeing. Cohorts were delighted with the weekly recipes! Laura, the tutor was able to have meaningful conversations with parents and carers about the connections of physical and mental health and how food can support this.
HeadsUp Annual Summary 2023-Stoke Hill Federation.
The HeadsUp Team have established positive working relationships with pupils, parents, carers, and staff. They are part of the whole school team and not seen as individuals that are additional to the team but rather included within the existing teaching and learning team. Full credit to Emma and Lucy from HeadsUP working quickly to get to know our whole school community.
Children really enjoy their sessions and feel at ease to share worries but also successes with HeadsUp. Children know when HeadsUp are due in school and often will be heard asking are they here yet!
This academic year the HeadsUp Team have worked with:
30 pupils in group or 1:1 session
60 pupils through their regular class sessions
32 pupils via the after-school club.
At the start of February 2023, 12 Mental Health Ambassadors completed their training and shared their initiatives to improve health and well-being across the school as part of children’s mental health week. They have delivered lunchtime clubs for children, promoted wellbeing via notice board and taken the lead in the Mental Health Choir which culminated in a performance during the summer concert to parents. During the summer term a further 10 children attended MHA training sessions after school in readiness for them to lead at the start of the new academic year 2023/24.
Our target at the start of our partnership with HeadsUp was to reach and make a difference to as many children as needed, the total so far is 122.
Working with HeadsUp has made a significant difference to the profile of health and wellbeing in our school and started to give children the tools to talk freely about their mental health and well-being.
Heads up really compliments the Stoke Hill Federation PSHE curriculum and enhances messages shared using the Jigsaw programme.
Communication between HeadsUp and school has been good and HeadsUp have been very proactive in sharing information and updates with parents/ carers.
