Mental Health and well being

How We Support Mental Health and Wellbeing at SKPS 

We strongly believe that children need to be mentally healthy if they are to learn and thrive at school. We are committed to helping every pupil to realise their full potential by supporting them with understanding how and why they think and feel the way they do. 

Our pupils are taught self-care techniques via a rich and varied curriculum, including exercise, nutrition and recognising and managing their emotions, as well as how to build and nurture relationships. We teach pupils how they can help themselves and each other with their mental health in an age-appropriate way. 

Our whole school approach 

Our whole school approach to supporting and promoting mental health and wellbeing includes: 

• Nurture - Skinners’ Kent Primary School is a member of the National Nurturing Schools Programme and has received the National Nurturing Schools Award. This means we have fully embedded the Six Principles of Nurture successfully across our whole school community to promote positive mental health and form strong relationships with all our stakeholders.  

To find out more about nurture, please click here.

• Access to research into children’s mental health - We are a member of the WISDOM Research Network, which brings together primary and secondary schools, sixth forms and further education colleges in England, together with academic researchers, to take part in high-quality mental health research. As part of our membership, we benefit from engaging with and learning from cutting-edge mental health research, alongside opportunities to connect with other schools and help shape future mental health research 

• Policies to promote wellbeing - At the heart of every policy is a commitment to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils. We believe that emotional resilience, positive mental health and a supportive environment are essential for learning. Therefore, every decision, guideline and procedure is designed to safeguard and nurture mental wellbeing, ensuring pupils feel valued, understood and supported. Click here to read our policies 

• Mental Health Lead - A trained member of staff who works with the Senior Leadership Team to oversee a whole-school mental health strategy and establish clear pathways for mental health support and referrals to specialist services 

In addition, we offer: 

• Weekly Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons – we follow the Jigsaw curriculum, a comprehensive, mindfulness-based program that integrates PSHE education with emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed as a whole-school approach, where all year groups work on the same theme at the same time, covering statutory requirements for relationships and health education 

• Whole school awareness days and assemblies to promote wellbeing 

• Whole school mental health techniques - these are taught and promoted to pupils via the Zones of Regulation, mindfulness/meditation, brain breaks and the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MISP/.breathe), which is taught to Year 6 pupils during Term 6 to aid transition to secondary school 

• Calm corners and calm boxes in every classroom to help aid emotional regulation 

• Dedicated spaces for pupils to use to support their mental health, including break and lunch club and a sensory regulation room 

• Active pupil leadership roles to promote confidence, communication and independence, including Wellbeing Champions, Anti Bullying Ambassadors, Sports Leaders, Reading Ambassadors and House Captains 

Pupils In Need Of Additional Support 

We are aware of risk factors that may indicate a pupil needs help and we know our pupils well to recognise changes in their behaviour and personality. Pupils are referred for support using our CPOMS monitoring system. We then use our Mental Health and Wellbeing Provision Map to guide our child-centred response. Support we can put in place may include (but is not limited to): 

• Check-ins with a trusted member of staff 

• Targeted intervention by a member of staff 

• Referral to the Emotional Mental Health Practitioner 

• Referral to our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) 

• Referral to our school counsellor 

• Referral to our play therapist 

• Referral for nurture intervention 

• Collaboration with parents/carers to signpost them to external services 

Click here to read our Mental Health and wellbeing provision map.  

Emotional based school avoidance (EBSA) 

We are aware that at times in your child’s school life they might struggle to come into school, and some of the common reasons for this. We are also aware of how physical symptoms can be disguised as signs of stress and anxiety. Working with families is the best way to prevent EBSA from becoming a persistent problem. If you are concerned that your child is experiencing early signs of EBSA then please do get in touch with our attendance lead Mrs Alice Kennedy for further support. You can also watch the following parent and carer recorded webinar from the Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS) here for tips and advice and the signs to look out for.

We are committed to working with you to support your child, so if you are concerned about any element of your child’s mental health or wellbeing, please contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance.  

Meet the team 

We work with the following partners to support mental health in our school. 

School Counsellor - Jayne Martin Dip Couns MBACP (Accred) 

Jayne is an integrative counsellor, with a particular interest in childhood trauma. She works on a one-to-one basis to support children with friendship difficulties, processing emotions and self-awareness through the use of play and joined the SKPS team in November 2021. Pupils will typically receive 6-8 sessions of counselling. Parents will be sent a Request for Support form to complete ahead of sessions commencing and will be given feedback at the end of the intervention. What is discussed in sessions will remain confidential, unless there is a safeguarding concern. 

Trainee Play Therapist - Susan Baker, Bright Futurz Therapeutic Play Support 

Susan Baker provides therapeutic play support for primary-age children across Kent and Sussex, including her current work at Skinners’ Kent Primary School. She can support children with mild to more complex needs, including high anxiety or frequent worries, big anger or overwhelm, friendship breakdowns and difficult experiences or changes that can feel hard to manage. Sessions help children build emotional understanding, coping skills, resilience and self-regulation. Susan is a certified Therapeutic Play Practitioner and is registered with Play Therapy UK (PTUK). She is currently completing her Master’s in Play Therapy and works under clinical supervision. Referrals are made by the SKPS SEND team and children are then assessed for suitability using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parents meet with Susan at the beginning, mid-way point and end of the intervention, but what is discussed in sessions will remain confidential, unless there is a safeguarding concern. 

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant - Zoe Balding  

Zoe Balding is the school’s Inclusion Officer and Mental Health Lead. She has worked with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for nearly 10 years and specialises in supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH). She is currently completing her ELSA training and works to help children build resilience using the RULER approach by supporting them to better understand and manage their emotions. Benefits to pupils who receive ELSA intervention include developing greater self-awareness, learning to talk about difficulties, developing coping strategies and interacting more successfully with other. Her practice is supported and overseen by the Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS), which provides on-going professional supervision to help maintain high-quality work and ensure safe practice. Referrals are made by the SKPS SEND team and parental permission will be gained before any work takes place. Interventions typically last between 8-12 weeks and take place once a week. Children will be asked permission before sharing details of what has been discussed during sessions. 

NELFT Emotional Wellbeing Team - Lucia Romero Moreno 

Lucia is the school's Emotional Mental Health Practitioner and she is trained to help children with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.  She offers low intensity interventions for anxiety and low mood. Support is based on early intervention to prevent problems getting bigger and is offered in a variety of ways. Referrals are made via the pastoral team and an assessment with parents forms part of the process. Due to NELFT being a part of the NHS, GPs are informed of any work that is carried out. For example, a letter will be sent to your GP surgery on completion of any individual or small group work.  

Below is the current offer:  

• Individual support (6-12 sessions) for young people experiencing worries or low mood. This low-intensity approach is most suitable for pupils who are experiencing mild to moderate difficulties. For example, children experiencing loss of interest, avoiding activities and worrying. 

• Parent work is the primary offer of support for primary-aged children who are experiencing mild to moderate difficulties with anxiety, low mood or behavioural difficulties.  This can be offered either online or face to face, with the aim of equipping parents with the skills to support their child to overcome difficulties. For example, OSI (Online Support and Intervention for Child Anxiety) is an online platform designed for parents to learn tools and techniques to help their child to overcome difficulties with anxiety. Parents work through weekly online modules that contain videos, quizzes and interactive worksheets. Parents are also supported by a weekly telephone/video call appointment with a clinician. OSI can be accessed at a convenient time for you. This support may be suitable for children who are experiencing problems with anxiety, such as difficulties being away from caregivers, general worries, school worries, bedtime fears, social worries and phobias. 

• Groups and workshops for whole classes or small groups of pupils on topics including coping with transition to secondary school, friendship struggles and regulating emotional difficulties. 

• Groups and workshops for parents on topics such as understanding their child’s behaviour and/or anxiety 

In addition, parents and carers can access county-wide online workshops to help understand what is going on for their child and strategies to support them. 

NELFT currently offers workshops on: 

• Understanding ADHD 

• Understanding Anxiety 

• Understanding Autism 

• Understanding Behaviour 

• Understanding Resilience 

• Understanding Sleep and Autism  

The dates of these workshops, along with details of how to sign up, can be found on our weekly SKPS newsletter and on ClassDojo. If you would like any information, please speak to the Mental Health Lead, Zoe Balding.