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The Orchard School

Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing

At The Orchard School, we are dedicated to fostering the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our entire community, including the children, our families, and staff.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well being. It affects how we think, feel and act.

Good mental health and wellbeing is just as important as good physical health. Like physical health, mental health can range across a spectrum from healthy to unwell; it can fluctuate on a daily basis and change over time.

Recognizing that mental health is crucial for overall development and success, we provide a comprehensive array of resources and support systems. For our youngest learners, we integrate age-appropriate mindfulness and emotional regulation activities into the daily curriculum. Families are supported through workshops, counseling services, and a robust network of community resources to ensure they have the tools needed to nurture their children's mental health. Our staff is equipped with ongoing professional development opportunities, and they work together in teams to ensure shared work load and a supportive network. By prioritizing mental wellbeing, we aim to create a nurturing and resilient community where everyone can thrive.

All our pupils report feeling safe and happy and enjoy coming to our successful and inclusive school. We also have two trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) who build strong relationships with key individuals and work alongside them to support them in the best way possible.

Our 'It's Great to 8!" initiative enables all pupils to build their resilience through 8 fantastic experiences that we ensure that they have here at The Orchard BEFORE they go on to their Junior school and turn 8 years old. These opportunities give them a rich range of activities beyond the curriculum. 

 
Staff wellbeing and workload is of very high importance. We have two Mental Health Leads in the school who support staff on a day-to-day basis, as well as organise special events and themed weeks to raise the awareness of positive mental health.

 Our most recent Ofsted report identified that:

Pupils are very happy at The Orchard Infant School. They know that staff care for them and listen to them, and they feel safe because of this.

 and also

Staff work as a united team, all dedicated to providing a high-quality education for the pupils in their care.
Ofsted, March 2022

What helps?

Things that can help keep children and young people mentally well include:

  • Being in good physical health, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise.
  • Having time and freedom to play indoors and outdoors
  • Being part of a family that gets on most of the time

 Other factors are also important, including:

  • feeling loved, trusted, understood, valued and safe
  • being interested in life and having opportunities to enjoy themselves
  • being hopeful and optimistic
  • being able to learn and having opportunities to succeed
  • accepting who they are and recognising what they are good at
  • having a sense of belonging in their family, school and community
  • feeling they have some control over their own life
  • having the strength to cope when something is wrong (resilience) and the ability to solve problems.

What if my child is experiencing difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing?

Mental health doesn’t mean being happy all the time and neither does it mean avoiding stresses altogether. One of the most important ways to help your child is to listen to them and take their feelings seriously.

In many instances, children and young people’s negative feelings and worries usually pass with the support of their parents and families. It is helpful for the school to know what they are going through at these times, so that staff can be aware of the need and support this.

Coping and adjusting to setbacks are critical life skills for children, just as they are for adults, but it is important that they develop positive, rather than negative, coping skills.

If you are worried about your child’s mental health and wellbeing then, just as you would about any concerns that you have about their learning, come and talk to us. Sometimes children will need additional support for a short period – this may be in the form of a daily check-in with a trusted adult, time to talk through what they are feeling and support in developing ways of moving forwards with this.

Click here for resources that support the mental health and well-being of our school community both in and out of the school environment.

Mental-Health-_and_-Wellbeing-Resources (ID 1016)

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