Mental Health and Wellbeing

Miss L Hazuchova

Mental Health Lead

Ms N Osborne

Trust TIS Lead and TIS Practitioner

Mrs A Mason

TIS Practitioner and Bereavement Champion

Pupils' Mental Health and Wellbeing

At An Daras Trust, it is our vision that all children are entitled to develop to their fullest potential academically, socially, emotionally into healthy human beings, enabling each child to grow in confidence and be able to fully participate in everything that goes on in the wider community with confidence.

It is widely recognised that a child’s emotional health and wellbeing influences their cognitive development and learning. This also impacts on their physical and social health and their mental wellbeing into adulthood.

The Department for Education recognises that, in order to help pupil’s, succeed, schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy. Schools can be a place for pupils 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. Please see our PSHE page in our curriculum section for more information on where it is explicitly taught.

At Windmill Hill Academy, we follow the Trauma Informed Schools (TIS) approach in line with our Rights Respecting (Rights of the Child) approach. Both of these, support pupils' wellbeing.

Wellbeing strategies are promoted and embedded on a daily basis, as well as additional supporting sessions, e.g. mindfulness sessions. Bertie, our school dog, also helps to support the pupils and staff wellbeing. A stroke to our fluffy waggy-tailed friend really helps!

We have Nicola Gonoude, who is a Education Mental Health Practitioner, who works with us in school. This can be in the form of whole class, group and individual/family support.

Please talk to your child's class teacher initially if you have any concerns about your child's mental health.

Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing

It is recognised that promoting staff health and emotional well-being should be an integral part of the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, training and signposting to materials about mental health and emotional wellbeing is made available for all staff.

An open-door policy to senior leadership is always made available if staff are in need of speaking to someone about any issues of concern; we also have a fully committed and supportive governing body. Supervision and appraisal will allow for mutual communication about personal health and emotional wellbeing if both felt it is deemed necessary.

For more information, refer to ADMAT Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing Policy 01-2021 [Review 01-2023].pdf

'Staff say leaders consider their workload. They appreciate leaders' efforts to provide training that meets their individual needs. Staff feel proud to work at Windmill Hill.'

(Ofsted, December 2022)