Wellbeing for all
The wellbeing of our whole community is very important, and is central to our vision and values. We try to make our school a place in which everyone feels welcomed, supported, and valued. We know that everyone’s wellbeing depends not just on what happens in school, but also on what happens outside the school day, so this page has links to places where you may find useful help and advice. You can also read our pupil wellbeing policy.
Within the daily life of our school we have members of staff with specific roles and responsibilities for mental health and wellbeing. Our Mental Health Lead is Amanda Welch, and Samantha Hill, our pastoral lead, has a role working with children and parents to promote wellbeing. Mrs Hill is available to speak with parents informally in the school playground before and after school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Mrs Hill is also training to become our ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant).
Alongside our human staff we also have another very important staff member with responsibility for wellbeing, Nala our school dog, who has her own page on our website.
If you know of any resources you think we should be including on this page, do let us know!
We can’t take responsibility for outside organisations and their web sites. We are providing these links in the sincere belief that they may be helpful, but we are not formally endorsing or recommending them. We have no link, affiliation, or connection to any of the external organisations.
You can also find links to further sources of help and advice on a wide range of issues and challenges on our information page: do have a look and see if there’s something there to help your concerns.
Invasion of Ukraine
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a blog providing guidance to teachers and families on how to talk to children and young people about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The guidance covers how to talk about distressing news stories and how to spot inaccurate information. The Children’s Commissioner for England has also published a blog advising that we should not hide what is happening in the Ukraine from children and young people, but support children in understanding it. Meanwhile, Childline has published content to support children and young people who may be worried about the crisis.
Read the DfE blog: Help for teachers and families to talk to pupils about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how to help them avoid misinformation
Read the Children’s Commissioner blog: We should not hide from children what is happening in Ukraine
Read the Childline content: Worrying about Russia and Ukraine
General tips and advice
Here are some links to sites with lots of useful tips and advice about parenting in general and well-being and mental health in particular. Asking for advice and help early is the healthy, safe and positive choice for having good emotional and mental wellbeing – far better than trying to cope alone with worry and overwhelming feelings.
CAMHS is the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
With YOUth – Children & Young People’s Digital Wellbeing Service: Hertfordshire’s children and young people, who are experiencing emotional health problems and/or their parents/care givers, can now use a new free digital wellbeing service, without the need for a professional referral. This new free service is for children and young people aged 5-18, who are registered with a GP in Hertfordshire. It will initially be available from Monday to Friday, 2-10pm. You can contact them using the link button, or call their helpine: 0208 189 8400.
Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity that provides mental health support and training in UK schools. Their tried and tested model is backed by research. They believe that children should not have to face mental health problems alone. Their website for parents gives a wide range of advice and support for parents.
Action for Children is a charity working to ensure that every child and young person has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.
Please note that the Parent Club site is a Scottish Government site: it’s full of really great information, but remember that information about schools and public sector support may differ significantly from England!
YoungMinds is a charity working to support young people, their schools and parents, with mental health challenges. They have a helpline, email, and webchat service:
Call their Parents Helpline for detailed advice, emotional support and signposting about a child or young person up to the age of 25. The helpline also offers Typetalk or Textdirect to contact them, or you can use their Parents Webchat.
You can call them for free on 0808 802 5544 from 9:30am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.
Parents webchat is open 9:30am – 4pm, Monday – Friday via the YoungMinds website.
Coping with Covid
For now the worst of the pandemic is past, but Covid is still ‘a thing’ and there is still a chance new variants could cause us problems. Here are links to downloadable resources, advice, and information which may help you and your child cope with any worries and challenges.
Resources for parents
Here are some downloadable resources which just might help you cope with some specific issues and challenges. There’s help here with managing sleep, crying, emotional difficulties, and anxiety.
Courses for parents
Sometimes it might help to take a short course to help build skills and confidence in parenting. Here are links to information about just a few of the options open to you.
Raising Resilience is a free course on how to help your child cope and bounce back during and after the pandemic. This course is fully funded by Hertfordshire County Council and is available for all parents living within the county.
Beacon House is a specialist, innovative and creative therapeutic service for young people, families, and adults, with a special interest in supporting people who have experienced trauma and loss.
Crisis support services
If there is an immediate risk to life contact the emergency services on 999.
If there is no immediate risk, but you are very concerned about the mental health and well being of someone else, or of yourself, here are some organisations you can contact for support, advice, and guidance.
Shout is a 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. Text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK to text with a trained Crisis Volunteer.
The Samaritans: access immediate, confidential, emotional support at any time by calling 116 123 (calls are free). You can also email using the link buttons on this page: you will not necessarily receive an instant reply to an email, it’s a 24 hour response time.
Childline: a free, private and confidential service that you can access online and on the phone. They can provide help and support for people up to their 19th birthday. Call 0800 1111
HOPELINEUK: a confidential support and advice service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, and for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Call 0800 068 4141 any day 9am – 12am (midnight).
NHS 111: to access NHS mental health and well being support call 111 (select option two for mental health services) or go online to the NHS111 website.
This page was last updated on 12th December 2024