Mental Health and Wellbeing Statement
At The Greater Horseshoe School, our commitment to fostering positive mental health and wellbeing is unwavering. We extend this pledge to our entire school community, encompassing our young learners, dedicated staff, as well as parents and caregivers. We firmly acknowledge that mental health and emotional wellbeing hold equal importance to physical health in shaping the lives of our community members. Young people’s mental health stands as a pivotal element of their overall wellbeing, impacting their emotional regulation, learning capabilities, personal development, and ultimately, their academic achievements. We understand that the challenges young people face in their educational journey can vary in scale, from everyday difficulties to life-altering traumas, and mental health plays an influential role, often with life-limiting consequences.
The Greater Horseshoe School is not just an institution for education but a sanctuary for happiness and safety, where our young learners thrive within a nurturing environment attuned to their unique needs. We foster a distinct familial atmosphere, where each student is celebrated as an individual, encouraging their innate curiosity through a spectrum of challenges, experiences, and opportunities.
Our Vision of Emotional Health and Wellbeing at The Greater Horseshoe School:
- Proficiency in recognizing, expressing, and managing one’s emotions.
- Cultivation of empathy and compassion towards others.
- Building meaningful, positive, and enduring relationships.
- Encouragement to take responsibility for one’s safety, wellbeing, and decision-making skills.
We aspire for our young community members to:
- Be not just healthy, but also happy.
- Emerge as effective and successful learners.
- Demonstrate resilience by bouncing back from setbacks and persisting through challenges.
- Establish and nurture friendships and other significant relationships.
- Exhibit the ability to independently resolve conflicts and manage strong emotions like frustration, anger, and anxiety.
- Possess the capacity to foster a calm and optimistic state that bolsters goal attainment.
- Embrace diversity, acknowledging and respecting differing beliefs and values.
The Promotion of Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing:
In a school environment that prioritizes the enhancement of emotional wellbeing, students develop better self-awareness, emotional resilience, and experience a reduction in poor mental health incidents.
At The Greater Horseshoe School, we promote positive mental health and wellbeing by:
- Adopting a comprehensive, school-wide approach that fosters a culture of high expectations and continuous therapeutic support.
- Nurturing a dedicated and skilled staff community that champions positive mental health, offers unwavering support, and instills shared values.
- Providing training to our staff members, equipping them to recognize changes in behavior that might indicate potential issues and offer the necessary guidance and support.
- Incorporating mental health topics into our PSHE curriculum, raising awareness, imparting understanding, and equipping students with strategies to develop emotional health and manage their mental wellbeing.
- Offering personalized mental wellbeing support and targeted interventions tailored to the specific needs of our students.
- Actively promoting kindness and the cultivation of resilience throughout our curriculum.
- Maintaining a rigorous program of continuing professional development (CPD) for our staff.
- Enlisting a group of qualified Mental Health First Aiders to support the entire school community.
- Forging constructive partnerships with students, parents, and caregivers.
- Cultivating strong connections with external support and specialist agencies, such as the school nurse, MAST, CAMHS, to provide interventions for those grappling with mental health challenges.
Referrals:
In case of concern regarding a student’s mental health and wellbeing, any member of our staff, student body, or parents/carers can reach out to our designated safeguarding lead, Sarah South, or another member of the safeguarding team. They will provide the necessary monitoring, support, and, if required, make referrals to external agencies for further intervention. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one within our school community faces these challenges alone, and together, we can help overcome them.