Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health Champions training Part 2

Today, our Mental Health Champions had Part 2 of their training which was amazing! The two very important roles of a Mental Health Champion are to look after their own mental health and promote the positive mental health of others. Today they discussed what being mentally healthy means and what factors may affect our mental wellbeing. They shared and practised lots of ideas about what they can do to support themselves and others when feeling unsettled, struggling or unwell. Key skills include observing, connecting, uplifting, informing(an adult if needed) and championing. Key qualities include empathy, kindness, positivity, courage and leadership. With dedication and motivation, our Mental Health Champions graduated in style!

Role of a MHC

Graduation time!

What can we do to help us and others?

Let's try tapping
Solving problems and finding solutions
What it looks and feels like receiving kindness
Writing kind words about others

How to be an empathetic listener
How to be an empathetic listener

Role-play

Being active and having fun to help keep mentally healthy!
Thinking about factors that can affect our mental health

This week Trotts Hill are promoting Just Talk Week 2022

Trotts Hill children are aware of the theme 'Look Beneath the Surface' and are being encouraged to talk to somebody they feel comfortable with if they are not okay. They know that they can talk to any member of staff at Trotts Hill but also the Mental Health Champions in Years 3-6 who are especially motivated and trained to be there for others at playtimes and lunchtimes. Our children are also being encouraged to ask someone twice if they do not seem okay, and to look beneath the surface, especially if they spot somebody behaving unusually, or seeming down. Please support your children to do both at home and at school, to know that it is absolutely normal for them or others to not be okay and that we can do something about it - Just Talk. This theme runs perfectly alongside Anti-Bullying week's theme of 'Reach Out'.

Just Talk

Just Talk Leaflet for parents

Guidance on what to do if your child tells you they are not ok

Guidance on validating your child's feelings

Supporting your child with a peer conflict

Nine top tips for managing conflict

Calming and ground activities

Guidance on speaking in the 'I'

Look Beneath The Surface

Have you ever shouted or snapped at someone because you were feeling upset or worried?

Keeping emotions like sadness, fear or frustration locked up inside can sometimes cause them to come out in other ways, like outbursts of anger, being grumpy, or isolating yourself from people you care about.

Just Talk Week’s theme for 2022 is to ‘Look beneath the surface’, to be patient with others, as we can’t always know the challenges that someone may be facing.

That’s why, more than ever, it’s so important we don’t jump to conclusions about people or judge them unkindly.

It’s important to understand that if you see a friend, family member or someone else you know acting unusually or not their typical self, they may be having a bad day or going through a difficult time.

This Just Talk Week, we’ll be exploring the different ways to help - it’s often as simple as just talking and listening.

Make sure you are following JustTalk on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, as we'll be sharing pledges throughout the week.

Tune in from 21-27 November and remember to help us spread the words: "Talking shows strength, not weakness".

Mental Health Champions

One of our new pupil groups are 'Mental Health Champions'. These champions are a group of 11 pupils in Years 3-6 who are committed to supporting the wellbeing of others in the school. These pupils have chosen this role because they truly care about the mental health of their peers. They are available to support others during playtimes and lunchtimes. They have just started their training, provided by Stevenage Sporting Futures and will be fully informed about Mental Health and how to be an excellent champion.

See our wonderful Mental Health Champions below taking part in the first training session, on Children in Need day...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Mental Health is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Being mentally healthy means that we feel good about ourselves, make and keep positive relationships with others and can feel and manage the full range of emotions. These can range from happiness, excitement and curiosity through to less comfortable feelings such as anger, fear or sadness. Good mental health allows us to cope with life’s ups and downs, to feel in control of our lives and to ask for help from others when we need support.

Mental health problems affect around one in six children. It is therefore vital that as a school and parent partnership, we do our very best to promote positive mental health and provide early intervention for children who are displaying signs of mental health needs.

How do we promote positive mental health and wellbeing at Trotts Hill School?

At Trotts Hill Primary School we promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the following ways:

The teaching of mental health as part of the statutory Health Education within PSHE lessons
Promotion of physical health through P.E, active playtimes and lunch times and sports clubs
Teaching mindfulness through yoga in a range of year groups
Wellbeing clubs such as yoga
Taking part in 'Hello Yellow Day' every year in support of the Young Minds charity and World Mental Health Day
Promoting 'Feeling Good' week every February in support of raising awareness of Mental Health in young people across Hertfordshire
Delivery of 'Brain Buddies' and 'Emotion Explorers' programme across some classes to teach children emotional regulation skills
Delivery of NSPCC materials to teach children to stay safe and speak to trusted adults
Promoting and training our Mental Health Champions to support their peers

If we have low level concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils we may provide additional support:

Check ins with an adult in class/other adults
Drawing and Talking

For those pupils displaying mild-moderate mental health needs we may provide a higher level of support by referring to:

Family Support Worker
Education Mental Health Practitioner
NESSie
School Health/Step 2
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust's (HPFT) single point of access (SPA)

If you have any concerns about your child's mental health and wellbeing, please do not hesitate to talk to a member of staff who will pass on your concern to the relevant person.