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Cirrus Primary Academy Trust

Mental health and Wellbeing

Mental health and emotional wellbeing are important to our lives in just the same way as physical health and we recognise this in our school. At Stanley Park Infants’ School, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community.

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."

Children's mental helath is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and impacts on their learning and achievement

"Short term stress and worry is a normal part of life and many issues can be experienced as mild or transitory challenges for some children and their families. Others will experieince more serious and longer lasting effects. The same experieince can have different effects on different children depending on other factors in their life." (DfE 2018).

Intent

At SPIS we aim to develop the protective factors which buid resilience to mental health problems:

  • 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.

Implementation

SPIS is a place where children experience a nurturing and supportive environment that can help develop self-esteem and give positive experiences to help overcome adversity and build resilience.

We will provide opportunities through our PHSE curriculum; work in circle time, Zones of Regulation (see below) and ELSA sessions, assemblies, visiting speakers and agencies, for all children to learn strategies to stay mentally healthy; how worries and stress can affect their mental health; develop understanding and empathy for those with mental health issues, and acknowledge of where or who they can go to for support.

Impact

Our role in school is to make sure that our children are able to manage times of change and stress. The impact of learning and support provided in school will ensure that cildren know:

  • 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;
  • Where or who they can go to if they need help and support.

Zones of Regulation

At Stanley Park Infants’ School, we use the ‘Zones of Regulation’ to help support our children in understanding their emotions and regulating themselves when required. Regulation is something everyone (adults and children) need to continually work on - everybody faces circumstances that can test their limits from time to time. We aim to teach our children some of the tools they can use to support them when they enter a heightened state of alertness, because if we can help children to recognise when they are becoming less regulated, they will become more confident and capable when managing their feelings. This comes more naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practice.

An explanation of the Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation is a framework that teaches children skills and strategies toward developing and building an awareness of their feelings and/or internal state. Additionally, it allows children to learn and use a variety of tools for their own self-regulation. This can include exploring different methods for mindfulness, sensory integration, movement, thinking strategies, and having a healthy connection with others. The Zones provide a common language and compassionate framework to support positive mental health and skill development for all. In addition, it serves as an inclusion strategy for neurodiverse learners, children with specific learning needs, children with social, emotional, and behavioural needs and those who have experienced trauma.

Zones of regulation

The Zones

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness, when you are at your best and ready to learn. This zone could be described as you are feeling happy, focused, content, ready to learn. This is the zone where optimal learning occurs. A green zone means you are in a good place, a good zone and you are ready to learn.

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness, you may be feeling sad, tired, hungry, or bored. This zone may mean you need a rest or something to eat.

The Yellow Zone is used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however when in the yellow zone you have slightly more control than when you are in the red zone. A person in the yellow zone may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness.

The Red Zone is also used to describe an extremely heightened state of alertness and usually intense emotions. In the red zone a person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror.

We aim for children at Stanley Park Infants’ School to understand that all the zones are natural to experience, while giving them the confidence and skills to understand, manage and recognise the “zone they are in”. All class teachers, support staff and senior leaders have been trained in ‘Zones of Regulation’ and this is used in all classes, and when children are supported by our ELSA’s.

Mental Health Award

The school is committed to making mental health a strategic priority.  We aim to develop a positive culture that promotes mental wellbeing for everyone. Stanley Park Infants' School was awarded 'Silver Status' in the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in - School Mental Health Award (January 2020).

Building Emotional Resilience for the whole family

How we manage and take care of our wellbeing as adults is essential in building life-long emotional resilience in our children. The following links and resources are designed to provide families with self-help strategies and are used to compliment a broad range of wellbeing curriculum and interventions used in school. 

Talking Mental Health

Talking Mental Health is an animation designed to help begin conversations about mental health in the classroom and beyond.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-helpline/#parents-helpline

Useful Books:

The Red Beast by K.I.Al-Ghani

Starving The Anxiety Gremlin by K.Collins-Donnelly

The Huge Bag of Worries by V.Ironside

My Hidden Chimp by Professor S.Peters