Nun Monkton Foundation Primary School

Mental Health and Wellbeing including Physical Wellbeing

Our Aim

At Nun Monkton Foundation Primary School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers), and recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. 

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “in order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”. Schools can be a place for children and young people to experience a nurturing and supportive environment that has the potential to develop self-esteem and give positive experiences for overcoming adversity and building resilience. For some, school will be a place of respite from difficult home lives and offer positive role models and relationships, which are critical in promoting children’s wellbeing and can help create a sense of belonging and community. We are signed up to the DfE's 

The Department for Education (DfE) and the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities published guidance on the 8 key principles of a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. These are:

• an ethos and environment that promotes respect, and values diversity
• leadership and management that supports and champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing
• staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of pupils and learners
• curriculum teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning
• enabling student voice to influence decisions
• identifying the need for and monitoring the impact of interventions
• targeted support and appropriate referral
• working with parents and carers

Our role in school is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress, and that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. We also have a role to ensure that children learn about what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health, how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and where they can go if they need help and support.

Our aim is to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and to be a school where:

• All children are valued and know that they are all unique.
• Children have a sense of belonging and feel safe.
• Children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems without feeling any stigma.
• Positive mental health is promoted and valued.

We offer different levels of support:

Universal Support– To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For example developing resilience for all.

Additonal support– For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.  

Targeted support–  For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors

Please look at the policy page to read our Mental Health and Well Being policy

Our Senior Mental Health Lead, Wellbeing Champion & Mental Health First Aider is Mrs Lisa Addinall - she can be contacted at smhl@nunmonkton.n-yorks.sch.uk