Wellbeing and Mental Health

Helping every child to feel safe, understood and ready to learn

At Bitterne Church of England Primary School, children's emotional wellbeing is an important part of helping them to flourish.

We want every child to feel that they belong, that they have trusted adults they can talk to and that their feelings will be listened to. Our values of Hope, Courage and Creativity help us to build a school community where children learn to understand themselves, care for others and develop the confidence and resilience they need as they grow.

Supporting children's wellbeing is not something that happens only when a child is struggling. It is part of everyday life at Bitterne — through positive relationships, high expectations, our curriculum, opportunities to talk and reflect, and adults who know our children well.

Wellbeing through our curriculum

Our PSHE curriculum is taught through The Story Project, which uses carefully chosen stories to help children explore important aspects of growing up, relationships, emotions and the world around them.

Through PSHE and wider school life, children develop their understanding of:

• emotions and how to express them

• healthy and respectful relationships

• friendship and belonging

• resilience and managing challenges

• recognising when they need help

• keeping themselves and others safe

• valuing difference and respecting others

• making responsible choices

• developing confidence and positive self-esteem.

Children also develop these skills through Collective Worship, our wider curriculum, pupil leadership and the many opportunities they have to work, play and learn alongside others.

Trusted adults and early support

We want children to know that there is always someone at school who will listen.

Our staff build strong relationships with children and are alert to changes in behaviour, emotional wellbeing or engagement that may indicate that a child needs additional support.

Children are encouraged to talk to a trusted adult when something is worrying them. Where a concern is identified, we work with the child and, where appropriate, their family to understand what may be happening and consider the support that will help.

Sometimes a little extra support at the right time can make a big difference.

Additional support

Some children may need additional help with their social, emotional or mental health at different points in their school life.

Depending on the needs of the individual child, support at Bitterne may include:

ELSA support
Individual or small-group emotional literacy support to help children understand and manage emotions, relationships, loss, change, confidence or other difficulties.

The Nest
Our targeted provision supports children who need additional help with aspects of their social and emotional development, while ensuring they remain part of their class and continue to access their age-appropriate curriculum.

Family Support
Our Family Support Officer works closely with children and families and can provide practical support, advice and links to additional services where needed.

Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
Where appropriate, we can work with our Mental Health Support Team and other external professionals to provide additional advice and support for children and families.

Support is always considered according to the individual needs of the child and may look different for different children.

Working with families

Parents and carers know their children best and are important partners in supporting children's wellbeing.

If you are worried about your child's emotional wellbeing, please speak to their class teacher in the first instance. They can listen to your concerns and work with you to consider what support may be helpful.

Where additional advice is needed, families may also be supported by our pastoral, SEND or safeguarding teams.

You do not need to wait until a problem becomes serious before talking to us.

Keeping children safe

Mental health and safeguarding are closely connected. All staff receive safeguarding training and know how to respond when something a child says or does causes concern.

Our safeguarding team works with children, families and other professionals when additional help or protection is needed.

Our approach

At Bitterne, supporting wellbeing means helping children to develop the skills to navigate life's challenges while making sure they know that asking for help is a strength.

We want our children to leave us knowing:

I belong.
I can talk to someone when I need help.
My feelings matter.
I can learn ways to manage difficult feelings and situations.
I can face challenges with hope and courage.
I can help others too.

Together We Soar.