We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Our mental health is how we’re feeling inside, or how we are emotionally. Our mental health impacts how we think, feel, react and behave.
Our Vision At Highfield Littleport Academy, we believe that;
- emotional wellbeing and mental health is of central importance and fundamental to our lives
- there shouldn’t be fear or stigma around mental health
- that everybody within our school community should have an understanding and awareness of mental health
- everyone is entitled to the support that they need so that they can become the best, healthiest version of themselves
- having a mentally healthy community is about working together through challenges and sharing celebrations ensuring everyone feels supported, heard, accepted, valued and empowered
- individuals thrive in a mentally healthy environment and this is what we want to create for our school community
Healthy Minds Network
We take mental health and emotional wellbeing very seriously at Highfield Littleport Academy. This involves our students, staff, parents and carers - well anyone who visits our school!
We have formulated the Healthy Minds Network who will be championing all things mental health. This group works alongside our Mighty Minds student group which is a branch of the School Council.
Person Responsibilities
Hannah - Chair School’s Mental Health Lead
Lisa B - Co-Chair and Parent Communications
Julie - Pupil Advocate (Mighty Minds) and Staff Communications
Emily A - Parent Communication and Wellbeing
Emily G
Jacqi C
Lorna Robinson (Governor) - Advice and Support
Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
Emotional wellbeing is a continuum and we will all experience episodes of poor emotional health and wellbeing during our lives. We believe that everyone at Highfield Littleport Academy has a responsibility to promote positive mental health and to understand about protective and risk factors for mental health. All staff and governors should have the skills to look out for any early warning signs of mental health problems and ensure that pupils and other staff members with mental health needs get early intervention and the support they need.
Click here to view our mental health and wellbeing strategy.
Parent & Carer Wellbeing
Working with parents and school is a partnership. We want to support parents and pupils as we see that this has a direct impact upon each other.
Our aim at Highfield Littleport is to enable parents and carers to;
- feel supportive and valued
- feel part of the Highfield Littleport Academy community
- have opportunities to express their views and feel listened to
- build resilience
- be actively involved in child’s education and journey, come to us for support, feel listened to and heard
To support the mental health and wellbeing of parents and carers, we;
- host coffee mornings with a different focus each time including inviting guest speakers - please do share any topics you think might be useful by messaging us on Class Dojo
- invite parents to in-school events and celebrations, such as, Christmas Fair, Sports Day and class open sessions
- ensure parents/carers are involved in child’s education journey e.g. EHCP annual review meeting, two parents’ evenings a year, pre-admission meeting
- have a family support staff member who is a direct contact for parents/carers seeking further support
- provide signposting information for a range of services and events in the local area. These will be shared on Facebook and on Class Dojo so please do keep a look out.
- use Class Dojo to maintain regular contact between teachers and parents/carers
- share pupil learning and progress on Evidence for Learning
- share mental health and wellbeing information on our weekly newsletter
- ensure parent/carers are valued and feel listened to
- conduct regular surveys to gain feedback
For support and guidance with navigating the SEND system or for advice and support you can contact SENDIASS. They provide free, impartial, and confidential services offering information to parents, carers and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They provide:
- Confidential support and someone to talk to in confidence
- Advice and information about special educational needs
- Independent Support for children, young people and families as Statements are transferred to EHC Plans
- Preparing for meetings with your child’s school or with professionals who are working with your child
- Information on your rights and responsibilities as a parent, children’s rights and SEN law and guidance
- Information about local support groups and voluntary organisations
Click on the picture below to find more information:
If you do feel that you need further support and do not know where to turn, the links below may be able to support you.
Also take a look at the poster in the link below where you can find a wealth of information and sources of support.
Signposting for Parents and Carers
Pupil Wellbeing
Here at Highfield Littleport Academy we take pupil wellbeing very seriously. We have a branch of our School Council called the Mighty Minds group who meet to consider and implement actions to support emotional health and wellbeing.
Our aim at Highfield Littleport Academy for our students is to:
- feel valued and listened to
- feel safe in school and confident to talk to adults in school
- understand what mental health is and the importance of promoting and valuing positive mental health
- develop a personal toolkit of coping strategies to help them in times of distress or upset
- maintain positive mental health throughout different stages of their lives
- develop protective factors which help to build resilience
- communicate and express emotions
- self-regulate their emotions
- understand that all humans experience a wide range of emotions
- know where and how to seek further support
- identify early signs of mental wellbeing concerns
Information about the wellbeing and mental health of a pupil is shared with the class teacher and any other professionals supporting the pupil as well as the parent/carer. Information is shared in a timely manner so that next steps can quickly be identified.
The diagram below outlines how we support pupils with their mental health and wellbeing. Support is available at three tiers; core offer, targeted offer and specialist offer.
Outside of school there are lots of methods of support and guidance. Take a look at the links below:
Take a look at the poster below with more information and areas of support.
Staff Wellbeing
We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Our mental health is how we’re feeling inside, or how we are emotionally. Our mental health impacts how we think, feel, react and behave. We feel this is very important and want to ensure that staff wellbeing is promoted and safeguarded.
All adults that work with children have a need to engage in self-care. Good self-care is an effective prevention, guarding against severe or chronic distress. Staff are encouraged to consider their own self-care practices and how they maintain their own wellbeing. This can be discussed with line managers through appraisal meetings or at a drop in. Staff are also offered termly opportunities to attend a reflective group session led by our local Mental Health Support Team.
General Self-Care and Wellbeing Tips
- Honestly assess your wellbeing regularly
- Focus on prevention
- Make time for your wellbeing
- Pay attention to possible warning signs of poor mental health
- Establish and maintain professional connections that offer an opportunity to discuss stressors at work
- Develop realistic and reasonable expectations about work and your capabilities
- Take steps to enhance your job satisfaction
- Ask for help
Self-care is very personal and individual. Staff should take responsibility to develop a personal plan. Promoting positive wellbeing and self-care is an ongoing endeavour.
Take a look at the links below for sources of support should you need it.
As an employee of Active Learning Trust you can also access a range of health support and employee benefits. Vivup provides an Employee Assistance Program where you can get access to phone support, counselling, CBT workshops and lots of online resources. This will be available towards the end of the academic year. Currently we also access the Employee Assistance Program.
Take a look at the poster in the link below for more sources of support, staff are also willing to help. You can also approach any member of the Healthy Minds Group or the mental health leader.