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Tapton Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing Statement

Poor mental health undermines educational attainment. Surveys suggest that disproportionately large numbers of pupils with conduct and emotional disorders fall behind in their overall educational attainment, missing school and/or being excluded.

One in ten children and young people aged 5 to 16 have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder and around one in seven has less severe problems.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Statement

The mental health and wellbeing of all members of Tapton School (including staff, students and parents) is fundamental to our philosophy and ethos ‘valuing everyone, caring for each other, achieving excellence’.

Aims:

  • To ensure that through the promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing, children and young people are helped to understand and express their feelings, build their confidence and emotional resilience and therefore their capacity to learn.
  • To increase the awareness and understanding and reduce stigma amongst students, staff and parents/carers of issues involving the mental health and wellbeing of young people and to provide support at an early stage to any student who is or appears to be suffering from mental health issues.
  • To support students and staff with their own mental health and wellbeing.

 

Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing:

The culture at Tapton School promotes student and staff positive mental health and wellbeing and avoids stigma by:

  • Having a whole-school approach to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing within an ethos of high expectations and constant support.
  • Having a committed school community that sets a whole school culture of positive mental health and wellbeing, support and value.
  • Staff being aware of MHWB warning signs.
  • Having a robust regime of continuing professional development (CPD) for staff, regarding mental health and wellbeing.
  • Working closely and supporting students, parents and carers.
  • Whole school promotion of building individual resilience.

 

Supporting students:

Mental health and wellbeing is a very varied and complex area and there are no quick fix solutions. Maintaining every day, regular routines wherever possible, such as, attending school and lessons whilst managing mental health is key. School offers a range of services to help students develop positive mental health and wellbeing and support those experiencing mental health issues. These are:

  • Form Tutors and Inclusion Team are well placed to spot changes in behaviour that might indicate a problem and offer support and guidance. Many things can cause a change in mental health including traumatic events (e.g. loss or separation, life changes, abuse, domestic violence or bullying).
  • Staff who have volunteered as Health and Wellbeing Champions for students experiencing mental health issues.
  • Personal Development curriculum includes mental health and wellbeing topics in order to raise awareness and understanding and provide strategies for developing positive emotional health and wellbeing and managing mental health.
  • Personal Development has the flexibility to focus on developing children’s resilience, confidence, and ability to learn.
  • The Health and Wellbeing Team lead on mental health and wellbeing across the school, offering support, guidance and targeted intervention.
  • Constructive links with outside support and specialist agencies (e.g., MAST, Forge Youth, Door 43, CAMHS) to provide interventions for those with mental health problems.

 

Referrals:

Any member of staff, student, parents/carers concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of a student should speak to the student’s Form Tutor/Year Leader about their concerns. They will monitor and support them, and refer to the Health and Wellbeing Team and/or outside agencies as appropriate.

 

Lead members of Staff:

  • SENDCo and Senior Mental Health Lead: Steve Rippin
  • Health and Wellbeing Co-Ordinator: Jack Cadman
  • Wellbeing and Engagement Worker: Dave Simpson
  • Safeguarding Team: led by Kath Tabani (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Inclusion Team (Form Tutors, Year Leaders, Learning and Inclusion Co-Ordinators, Self-Regulation and Engagement Worker)