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Mental Health & Wellbeing

Every child known, valued and supported

At St Mary’s, supporting children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing is an essential part of helping them to learn, grow and thrive.

Rooted in love and guided by our Catholic faith, we aim to create a school in which every child feels safe, listened to, valued and able to ask for help. Positive relationships, belonging and trusted adults are at the heart of our approach.

We recognise that children experience a wide range of emotions and that changes, challenges and difficult experiences can affect their wellbeing. Mental health exists on a continuum: children may need different levels of support at different points in their lives.

Our aim is to promote positive wellbeing, identify concerns early and ensure that children and families receive appropriate help at the right time.

Our whole-school approach

Mental health and wellbeing are supported throughout school life rather than through one lesson or intervention.

Our universal provision includes:

  • Warm and supportive relationships with familiar adults

  • A calm, predictable and nurturing school environment

  • Explicit teaching about emotions and self-regulation

  • Daily mindfulness and quiet reflection

  • Prayer, worship and opportunities for spiritual reflection

  • PSHE, Relationships Education and Health Education

  • Physical activity, PE and outdoor learning

  • Forest School and opportunities to connect with nature

  • A clear Relationships and Behaviour Policy

  • Restorative approaches to resolving difficulties

  • Online-safety and digital-wellbeing education

  • Pupil voice, responsibilities and leadership opportunities

  • Support with transitions and changes

  • Celebration of children’s strengths, effort and achievements

  • A culture in which asking for help is recognised as a strength

We want children to develop emotional literacy, resilience and a range of healthy coping strategies that they can draw upon throughout their lives.

Daily mindfulness

All children take part in a short mindfulness practice each day.

This may include:

  • Calm breathing

  • Grounding activities

  • Guided reflection

  • Quiet music

  • Noticing thoughts, feelings and physical sensations

  • Gratitude

  • Prayer

  • Visualisation

  • Gentle movement or stretching

Mindfulness gives children an opportunity to pause, become more aware of how they are feeling and prepare their minds and bodies for learning. Children learn that mindfulness is one possible wellbeing strategy and that different approaches may work for different people.

Mindfulness complements our Catholic identity by providing time for stillness, reflection, gratitude and awareness of ourselves, other people and God’s presence in our lives.

Mental wellbeing through PSHE and HRSE

Mental wellbeing is taught progressively through our PSHE and Catholic Human Relationships and Sex Education curriculum.

We use Coram Life Education SCARF alongside Ten Ten Resources’ Life to the Full programme. This helps us provide teaching that is age-appropriate, inclusive, safeguarding-aware and consistent with our Catholic faith.

Our provision is reviewed against the current statutory guidance for Relationships Education and Health Education. Children learn about:

  • Recognising and naming emotions

  • Understanding that emotions can change

  • Healthy friendships and relationships

  • Kindness, empathy and respect

  • Self-esteem and personal strengths

  • Resilience and responding to setbacks

  • When and how to ask for help

  • Loneliness, worry and anxiety

  • Bereavement, change and loss

  • Bullying and prejudice

  • Personal boundaries and consent

  • Physical health and its relationship with mental wellbeing

  • Sleep, exercise, nutrition and healthy routines

  • Online relationships, social media and digital wellbeing

  • How online experiences can affect confidence, body image and emotions

  • Trusted adults and sources of support

Teaching is carefully adapted to children’s ages, development and additional needs. Staff create a safe environment for discussion while making it clear that confidentiality cannot be promised if a child shares something that suggests they or another person may be unsafe.

Recognising when a child may need help

Staff know our children well and are alert to changes that may indicate a child requires additional support.

These might include changes in:

  • Mood or emotional regulation

  • Behaviour

  • Friendships and relationships

  • Confidence or self-esteem

  • Attendance

  • Engagement with learning

  • Sleep or energy

  • Eating

  • Communication

  • Willingness to participate

  • Physical complaints without a clear medical explanation

A change does not necessarily mean that a child has a mental-health condition. Staff consider the child’s individual circumstances and work with the child and their family to understand what may be happening.

Targeted support in school

Some children may benefit from additional support beyond our universal provision. Support is matched to the child’s needs and reviewed regularly.

Depending upon need and staff availability, this may include:

  • Regular check-ins with a trusted adult

  • A named key adult

  • Access to a safe or quieter space

  • Emotional-literacy work

  • Support with recognising and regulating emotions

  • Anxiety-management and calming strategies

  • Friendship and social-skills support

  • Self-esteem and confidence work

  • Resilience and growth-mindset activities

  • Support following bereavement, loss or family change

  • Transition support

  • Sensory or movement breaks

  • Small-group interventions

  • Individual wellbeing plans

  • One-to-one CBT-informed activities

  • Liaison with the SENDCo

  • Advice from external professionals

One-to-one work delivered in school is supportive and educational. It is not a replacement for clinical assessment, counselling or specialist mental-health treatment where these are required.

Parents and carers will usually be involved in planning targeted support. The child’s voice is also important: we help children identify their strengths, explain what they find difficult and understand what helps them feel safe and ready to learn.

Working with our Primary Mental Health Worker

Where concerns are more significant or continue despite support in school, we can seek advice from the Primary Mental Health Worker.

The Primary Mental Health Worker may support the school by:

  • Offering professional consultation and advice

  • Helping staff and families understand a child’s presenting needs

  • Suggesting appropriate strategies or next steps

  • Advising whether another service may be more suitable

  • Supporting appropriate referrals

  • Helping professionals work together around the child

Access to external services is subject to their referral criteria and availability. Wherever appropriate, we discuss concerns and proposed referrals with parents or carers and seek their agreement.

Where a concern relates to safeguarding or immediate risk, the school follows its safeguarding procedures and may need to share information without prior consent in order to protect the child.

Our graduated approach

We use a graduated approach to mental-health and wellbeing needs:

Universal support

The nurturing relationships, curriculum, mindfulness, routines and wellbeing provision available to every child.

Targeted support

Additional check-ins, small-group work, one-to-one interventions, adjustments or individual planning for children who need more help.

Specialist support

Advice, assessment or intervention from suitably qualified external professionals or services when a child’s needs cannot be met through school support alone.

Support is reviewed through an Assess–Plan–Do–Review cycle. We consider what is helping, what needs to change and whether further advice is required.

SEND and mental health

Mental health and SEND can be closely connected. Communication needs, sensory differences, neurodiversity, learning difficulties, medical needs and changes in routine may affect how a child experiences and communicates distress.

We do not assume that all behaviour is deliberate. We seek to understand what a child may be communicating and make appropriate reasonable adjustments while maintaining clear, safe and supportive expectations.

Where appropriate, the SENDCo works with the child, family, class teacher and external professionals to coordinate support.

Kooth

Kooth is an online mental-health and wellbeing community for young people. It provides access to moderated wellbeing content, self-help tools and online support.

Kooth services are generally designed for young people from the age of 10, although local availability and age ranges depend upon commissioning arrangements. Families should check eligibility when registering.

Kooth is:

  • Free at the point of access where locally commissioned

  • Designed to provide a safe and moderated online environment

  • Accessible anonymously

  • Available without a referral where commissioned

  • A source of articles, activities and wellbeing support

Kooth is not an emergency or crisis service. Children should always speak to a trusted adult if they feel unsafe, frightened or unable to cope.

Parents and carers should remain involved in age-appropriate conversations about online wellbeing and help children understand how and when to seek support.

Working with families

Parents and carers know their children best. If you are concerned about your child’s emotional wellbeing, please speak to their class teacher, the SENDCo or the Headteacher.

We will:

  • Listen to your concerns

  • Share what we have observed in school

  • Consider your child’s views

  • Agree appropriate next steps

  • Review the impact of support

  • Seek further advice where required

You do not need to wait until a difficulty becomes serious before talking to us. Early conversations often help us provide support before concerns become more established.

Supporting wellbeing at home

Families can support children’s emotional wellbeing by:

  • Making regular time to talk and listen

  • Helping children name their emotions

  • Acknowledging feelings without immediately trying to remove them

  • Maintaining predictable routines

  • Encouraging good sleep habits

  • Providing opportunities for physical activity and outdoor play

  • Limiting age-inappropriate online content

  • Creating calm, screen-free times

  • Practising breathing or mindfulness activities together

  • Encouraging friendships and participation in enjoyable activities

  • Modelling healthy ways to manage worry, frustration and disappointment

  • Seeking help when concerns persist or significantly affect everyday life

Useful guidance is available from:

When a child needs urgent help

School-based support and Kooth are not emergency services. If a child is in immediate danger, requires urgent medical attention or there is an immediate risk of serious harm, families should contact the appropriate emergency or urgent healthcare service.

Any child who is worried about themselves or another person should tell a trusted adult immediately.

Our commitment

At St Mary’s, children are never expected to manage difficult feelings alone.

Through Rooted in Love, Faith in Action and Learning to Thrive, we help children understand themselves, build positive relationships, develop resilience and know when and how to ask for help.

We want every child to know:

You are valued. You are listened to. You are supported. You matter.

  1. Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2026 pdf