Supporting your child's Mental Health and Well-being

At Randwick C of E 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. All children go through ups and downs during their school career and some face significant life events. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem.

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 engender a sense of belonging and community. 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.

At Randwick, pupils' positive mental health and wellbeing is paramount and at the forefront of everything we do. It is woven into our daily classroom practice; in the ethos of the school as well as being the focus of standalone PSHE lessons, assemblies and recognising national events. 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.
• 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.
• Bullying is not tolerated. In addition to children’s wellbeing, we recognise the importance of promoting staff mental health and wellbeing.

Resources

Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is a digital therapeutic that helps with the symptoms of worries or anxiety for children aged 7-12 years with mild to moderate needs, helping them learn skills to self-manage their worries/anxiety in an engaging intergalactic adventure game (app).

This app facilitates CBT (including psychoeducation and exposure therapy) recommended as a treatment intervention by NICE Anxiety disorders Quality standard and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Lumi Nova is not intended to be used by:

1. Young people who do not have parent, carer, guardian or trusted adult supervision

2. Young people who are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts or are at risk of self harm

3. Young people that have severe anxiety or are in crisis

4. Young people with severe mental health symptoms or diagnoses, who are not supported by a healthcare professional.

To access Lumi Nova please access the link below:

Luminova

Files to Download