At the heart of our ethos at St. Luke's C of E Primary School is the social and emotional well-being of all our pupils. Schools are on the frontline when it comes to supporting children's mental health and well-being. Staff working in schools are ideally placed to recognise and respond to early signs of mental health difficulties in children.

What is well- being?

Well-being is about thoughts, feelings, emotions and ability to react to life. A good sense of well-being is feeling balanced and able to cope, even when life or situations are challenging. Sometimes our well-being is affected by things out of our control: illness, a stressful family situation or crisis. When our well-being is affected and we do not feel able to cope, this can lead to mental health concerns: sadness, depression and unhelpful thoughts that can stop us from enjoying and managing with daily life.

What is anxiety?

While many children worry about school or home circumstances from time to time, around 1 in 10 experience anxiety severe enough to make it hard for them to face things in their life.

 

What do we do to support children who experience anxiety?

* We support children to face feared situations. We help plan ways for them to test out their fears gradually and set specific goals.

* We stay calm and supportive.

* Instead of reassuring children that nothing bad will happen, we plan ways to work through situations.

* We praise and reward small successes.

* We focus on the fact that all children are unique.

Safeguarding

Additional information on the safeguarding of children in a range of areas is also avaliable on the school website and includes...

 

If your child receives new technology for Christmas, it’s important to set up devices correctly to keep them safe when online. New resources from Brook Essex looking at how to support young people to have healthy relationships in a digital world and Brook’s popular podcast on consent along with other resources created by the ESCB and partners will help provide you with information to support your child safely navigate the online world, whether they are primary or secondary age.

Here are some websites designed specifically for children and young adults:

National helplines:

• National Domestic Violence Helpline - 0808 2000 247 
• National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline -  0800 999 5428 
• Respect -  0808 802 4040 
• Men’s Advice Line -  0808 801 0327 
• Shelter -  0800 800 4444  
• NSPCC Helpline - 0808 800 5000 
• ChildLine -  0800 1111 
• Samaritans -  116 123 

Everyone's Invited

Sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment in any form are abhorrent and it is vital that reports of abuse are appropriately investigated and victims supported and protected. Details of how we do this at St Luke's this is covered on our Safeguarding Page and our approach to teaching Relationships and Sex Education can be found on the Policies & Procedures Page.

 

A dedicated NSPCC helpline is now available to support anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in educational settings or has concerns about someone or the issues raised. The dedicated NSPCC helpline number is 0800 136 663 and more information is available at: Dedicated helpline for victims of abuse in schools NSPCC.