Mental Health and Wellbeing

As the World Health Organisation explain, mental health, mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. It is our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in.

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School we are a loving, inclusive family, rooted in our Christian Values and nurturing ethos. We provide a positive learning environment where all children can achieve their full potential.

Everyone needs good physical and mental health and well-being and strategies to support this long term throughout their lives.

We aim to promote positive mental health for all pupils and every member of our staff. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches aimed at identified pupils.

In addition to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, we aim to recognise and respond to need as it arises. By developing and implementing practical, relevant and effective mental health and wellbeing policies and procedures, we can promote a safe and stable environment for pupils affected both directly and indirectly by mental health and wellbeing issues.

The AllChild Project

https://www.allchild.org

Westleigh Methodist was selected to be part of the ‘All Child’ project in Wigan. (7 schools in Leigh are part of this project). AllChild will run a 2-year programme of support which started in September 2024, based in school, that helps our children and young people build relationships and skills they need to thrive in adulthood.

Miss T, a link worker, is based in school to support, guide and champion each child on the programme, personalising the support offered to them, and linking them to the many free and low-cost opportunities and activities that already exist in the local community but that they might not know about.

Mr Fitztilley also works from our school but supports a number of schools in the area too.

AllChild have a dedicated room in our school which links directly onto the school playground.

AllChild partners include Leigh Leopards and Everyday Wigan (art project). The aim is to improve resilience, confidence, engagement, SEMH, teamwork and self-regulation. Sarah Perry, AllChild’s counsellor, will also work with individuals.

The AllChild project complements the SEMH and teaching and learning interventions and clubs already happening in the school. This project definitely demonstrates the school’s vision, ‘With God, all things are possible.’

Giving Back - Supporting the Mental Health Charity, YoungMinds

Our newsletter in Autumn 2024 - 25 shares our fundraising for YoungMinds on Hello Yellow Day during Mental Health Awareness Week. This is a charity close to our hearts at Westleigh and our solidarity is really important.

Our Mental Health Pledge

As a school we will:

Champion whole school approaches to sustainably build a mentally healthy school community.
Emphasise the importance of staff wellbeing as a prerequisite for the wellbeing of the children they teach and support
Highlight the connections between nutrition, physical, emotional and mental health
Train our staff in mental health awareness so they can better support children in our school
Engage parents in conversations about children’s mental health to foster support at home
Seek and share good practice from other schools
Work with organisations to promote children and young people’s mental wellbeing through physical activity and active lifestyle choices
Promote in-school support for children with mild and moderate mental health needs
Regularly review staff workload and working hours, ensuring routine working practices are emotionally friendly and compatible with family life
Train our staff in mental health awareness and support honest conversations about mental health in our workplace community
Have clear signposting to further help and resources for those who may need it

Strategies at Westleigh Methodist to Support Children's SEMH (Social and Emotional Mental Health)

Nurture spaces have been created for children to easily access. The Wellbeing Room has been resourced so children can use it as a safe space.
'Calm and connect' spaces in classrooms allow children to regulate behaviour.
Support is also available through our full-time Pastoral Manager, Miss Sumner.
The use of restorative practice and restorative conversations are part of school culture.
Children are referred to our school counsellor when targeted support is required.
AllChild project support
Zones of Regulation help to support our children to understand their emotions and regulate their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem-solving abilities.
There are four different coloured 'zones' which help children to recognise and communicate feelings in a safe and non-judgemental way. It also allows them to 'tap into' strategies and tools to help them to move between zones resulting in a regulated, calm state or 'The Green Zone'.

Our curriculum offers to deliver both physical and emotional outcomes for our pupils. Through our curriculum we aim to deliver life skills and positive feelings of wellbeing through the curriculum.

Supporting the wellbeing of children has never been so important. Two fantastic free parental resources to support parents to support themselves and their children can be accessed here:

Please find attachment below for a parent/carer guide on Mental Health by the Mental Health Foundation and our Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy: