Mental Health and Wellbeing
Trick Box
As part of our whole school, well-being approach we are using Trick Box, which is a fun and effective personal development programme, to help children from Reception to Year 6 to;
-
- Build confidence
- Manage emotions and anxiety
- Develop communication skills
- Make positive choices about actions
- Coach themselves through challenges
From Reception to Year 6 your child will be introduced to 24 ‘tricks’ and a simple self-coaching model called Letter Box, designed to give them positive habits for life.
We’ll be practising the tricks at school and it would be great if you could also practise these tricks at home with your child.
If you have any questions about this exciting new journey, please contact the school office and Miss Chisman will get in touch.
Alongside our Whole-School approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing we also support individual pupils through ELSA
What is ELSA?
There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning. Some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.
The majority of ELSA work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, we use a range of activities such as: games, role-play with puppets or therapeutic activities such as mindfulness or arts and craft. ELSA sessions take place in our very own 'ELSA room' which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured.
In ELSA we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:
Recognising emotions
Anxiety
Self-esteem
Social skills
Friendship skills
Anger management
Loss and bereavement
How does ELSA work?
Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, Senior Leaders, SENCo or parents. Mrs Charles and Mrs Rowley discuss the referral and identify and prioritise which children require a weekly programme for the next 6 weeks. With the programme aims in mind we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.
Supporting - not fixing
Remember, ELSAs are not there to fix children's problems. What we can do is provide emotional support.
We aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they
are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.
It needs to be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's need. Training and development of ELSAs is an ongoing process and wisdom is required to recognise when issues are beyond the level of expertise that could reasonably be expected of an ELSA. In these cases, school supports parents with referrals for specialist counselling, play therapy or to CAMHS.
It's normal to feel angry, sad, worried or stressed sometimes.
However, your child might need extra support if they struggle to cope with those feelings.
Look out for:
- sudden changes in behaviour
- negative thoughts and low self-esteem
- arguing and fighting
- sleep problems
- avoiding school or staying with you all the time
- aches and pains.
Remember – everyone is different, and these signs might not be related to a mental health problem.