Ethos and Belonging
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that school settings should be supported to adopt a comprehensive ‘whole school’ approach to promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
- Social and emotional wellbeing in secondary education (PDF, 208 KB)
- Social and emotional wellbeing in primary education (PDF, 213 KB)
The actions and communications throughout the school community should reflect expectations of:
- Valuing diversity and difference, giving equal access and opportunity to all
- Openness and positive enquiry
- Collaborative and constructive relationships
- Management of own needs in relation to mental health
- Responding flexibly to individual needs
- Consistent thinking and reflective practice across all school staff, parents and partner agencies
Appropriate behaviour should be modelled by adults in the school including calm approaches and minimising raised voices. The focus is on a relational approach and the importance of relationships. Adults and young people should treat each other with respect and kindness.
The senior leadership team should ensure that:
- All staff know what good mental health looks like
- There is regular whole school promotion of mental health awareness for staff, young people, parents
- Expectations are communicated through school displays and communications
- All staff are committed to the promotion of mental health for all young people and adults
- There is staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of students
- There is an understanding of the implications of the SEMH strategy within their role in school, including the links between SEMH and SEND
- Parents and visitors feel welcome and included in the school community.
- There are information leaflets available for staff and parents about different aspects of SEMH
- Appropriate behaviour is modelled by adults in the school
- Adults and young people treat each other with respect and kindness.
- The school curriculum includes teaching to promote resilience and social and emotional learning (a PSHE program) see EEF Social and Emotional Learning
- There are opportunities throughout school which support the development of resilience - please see the Warwickshire Awakening Resilience Model (PDF, 249 KB)
- There is an emphasis on teaching and encouraging desired/ appropriate social, emotional skills and positive mental health e.g. through Emotion Coaching, rather than focussing on inappropriate, negative behaviour,
- Information sessions are provided for parents in the specific areas (e.g. anxiety management, self-harm, managing behaviour, emotional based school avoidance)
- School staff have knowledge of, and links to, external and community sources of support for young people, individuals and families including support available through CWRISE, the Primary Mental Health Service and, in some parts of Warwickshire, support from the Mental Health in Schools Teams
- School staff work with outside agencies such as health services, social care and traded education services There are systems in place that:
- Promote a sense of belonging such as house groups, clubs, team sports, class/tutor groups
- Promote the opportunity for social engagement and safe spaces and promotes SEMH on the playground at breaktimes and lunchtimes, e.g. through friendship benches, specific activities
- Avoid social exclusion, such as monitoring areas of the school environment that are unsupervised
- Ensure that young people are aware of and involved in whole school decision making including support available in school regarding mental health, e.g. pupil forums, school councils, etc.
- Provide a careful induction for young people joining the school at both the beginning and part the way through the academic year.