Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Childer Thornton we prioritise children’s mental health and wellbeing in everything we do and every decision we make. We want our children to go on to do great things…and mental health and wellbeing is a crucial part of that.
Our whole-school approach focuses on wellbeing on a daily basis. Assemblies, Heartsmart lessons and themed days throughout the year place a strong emphasis on understanding emotions, resilience, friendships and where and when to ask for support. We hold a whole school ‘Staying Safe and Feeling Great’ Day once per term where we come off timetable to focus on a different aspect of mental health and safety. In addition to this, we hold ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ where children and staff participate in activities designed to boost their wellbeing such as yoga, dance, art, Forest School and music. Our school rules of ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ are constantly referred to in the context of mental health and wellbeing in the classrooms and the playground.
Throughout the year, we offer targeted opportunities to work with mental health professionals either as a small group of children or a specific class. We work closely with the Ellesmere Port MHST to offer groups such as ‘Worry Warriors’, ‘Rocky’s Resilience Club’ and ‘Feelings Detectives’ alongside targeted 1-1 support. The MHST also support our Year 6 class with a ‘transition to high school’ workshop.
Many children will need some extra support during their time at Childer Thornton and our fantastic ELSA Mrs Gong, is ready to help. ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) are staff who are trained to provide emotional and social skills support to children. They work with children on planned activities and are supervised by the Educational Psychology Service.
We also work closely with Education Mental Health Practitioners from the Cheshire MHST, Health Visitors, CAMHS and other health colleagues to work towards the best outcomes for our children. In conjunction with families, we aim to get the right support for children when they need it the most. Years 4,5, and 6 have ‘Mental Health Champions’ who work closely with Mrs Belding and the MHST to improve the mental health of pupils at Childer Thornton through assemblies and direct work with peers.
All children access our NSPCC assemblies and we have an information board where they can access support such as Childline.
Childer Thornton is now able to issue Foodbank vouchers for West Cheshire Foodbank to help families in need of support. We can also help families access children’s clothes and baby items through KidsBank Chester and Christmas presents through Stanlaw Abbey Children’s Centre. Please contact the school office or Mrs Belding if you would like more information. Further details are below.
Carers, including Young Carers, may be supporting someone living with the challenges of being ill, frail, disabled or experiencing mental health or addiction problems. This can put a strain on their own mental health.
Organisations such as Carers Trust can help with support in this area.
We work with Cheshire Young Carers to help get the support, services and recognition our young people need. Click the picture below to find out more:
The mental health of our families is extremely important to us and we often work as part of a multi-agency team to obtain the right support for parents and siblings too.
If you feel that your child or family would benefit from some support in this area, please contact school and ask to speak with Mrs Belding or Mrs Yarranton.
We are very proud to have been awarded SMSC Gold on two consecutive verification visits in recognition of the social, emotional, spiritual and cultural endeavours at Childer Thornton. Children right through the school spoke so passionately to the assessor about how these crucial aspects of education weave right through our curriculum and school life.
