We all have mental health. Mental health is about our feelings, our thinking,  our emotions and our mood. Looking after our mental health is important. 

Looking after your mental health and wellbeing will help you to build your resilience and take on life’s challenges. The five ways to wellbeing can help you do this.

1. Connect

This can be with friends or family members.

 You can try:

 • making time for your friends or family members to build your relationships;

• asking someone how they are and making sure you listen to them.

2. Be active

This can be gentle exercise.

You can try:

• going for a walk with family;

• doing a yoga or workout session online.

3. Take notice

Be more aware of your surroundings.

You can try:

• looking at the sights while you go for a walk;

• noticing the changing seasons.

4. Keep learning

This doesn’t have to be in school or lessons.

You can try:

• a new hobby, such as cooking;

• reading about something that interests you.

5. Give

This doesn’t have to be money.

You can try:

• cleaning, tidying, helping siblings or cooking.

Time To Talk:

We want to provide our children with as many ways to raise concerns and to talk about how they are feeling.  They can do this by:

• Speaking to their class teacher or another member of staff in the classroom/academy
• Speaking to Mrs. Meadowcroft (our Extended Services Manager)    
• Through dedicated lessons including Personal, Social, Heath Education (PSHE) which is taught through Jig Saw, P4C, Circle Time

In addition to this:

• We have also implemented a wellbeing programme called Zumos. Each child in the academy has a Zumos page that includes their very own worry box where children are able to send their worries or concern through the worry box. These worries will be sent to the classroom teacher and to our Extended Services Manager. Staff are then able to address the children's worries through a simple message or leading them to the appropriate podcasts or materials provided by Zumos. Click on the link below to find out more about Zumos

Supporting your pupils through the COVID-19 pandemic

How can I support my child during lockdown?

• Talk with them about what’s going on, keeping communication as open as you can. Let them know that it’s okay to feel however they feel – whether that’s scared, worried, angry, sad or something else. You can find our tips on starting a conversation with your child here.
• Try to answer your child's questions and reassure them in an age appropriate manner. While you don’t need to know all the answers, talking things through can help them feel calmer. 
• Encourage your child to do the things that help them when they’re finding things difficult. This will be different for everyone – it could include things like doing exercise or going for a walk, watching a favourite film, reading a favourite book, cooking or baking, talking to friends, or drawing or writing.
• Reassure them this will pass, you’re there for them, and you will get through this together. Having returned to some of their normal activities over the summer, going back into stricter measures might feel frustrating for your child. They may even be worried that things will never get better. Recognise how difficult this is, while also letting them know that the pandemic will not last forever.
• Spend time doing a positive activity together. This can help them to feel calmer by giving them a short break from everything that’s going on. It’s also a great way of providing a space for them to talk through their concerns, without having a ‘big chat’. You can have a look at our activity ideas for younger children, and for teenagers, to help you.
• Keep as many regular routines going as possible to help your child feel safe and secure. This can include things like having regular times for going to bed, waking up, eating meals and doing hobbies.

How do I support my child at this time?

It can be hard to know how children and young people will be feeling and coping at the moment, so it can be useful to focus on two elements for everyone. The first is to acknowledge our feelings to learn to express our emotions, have them validated and recognise that we are not alone. The second is to develop a sense of hope and resilience in the future.

In this section, you'll find a mix of resources you can download to support all young people at this time.

I’m struggling with my child’s behaviour

It is normal if your child’s behaviour is a bit more challenging than usual at the moment. Children and young people often express how they’re feeling through they’re behaviour – and many young people are feeling uncertain, anxious or frustrated right now.

Challenging behaviour can, however, be exhausting for you as a parent, and it’s important to find ways of managing it that work for you.

Have a look at our tips to help you respond to your child’s behaviour:

What is challenging behaviour?

Just like us, children behave differently at different times. Feeling upset, sad, cross, frustrated and lots of other kinds of emotions is a normal and healthy part of their life. Many children go through phases of testing boundaries, and they are likely to behave in ways that are harder to manage when they are tired, ill or stressed. It is normal for younger children to have tantrums sometimes, while older children may sometimes shout, storm out or lash out.

When we talk about ‘challenging behaviour’, we mean behaviours that are persistent and difficult for both you and your child to manage. This includes things like:

• Having lots of angry outbursts
• Regularly shouting, swearing and being very argumentative
• Frequently hitting, biting or kicking others
• Kicking, smashing or damaging things in their home or school
• Being unkind or bullying towards other family members or children
• Persistently getting into trouble at school.