Here at Parkside Primary Academy we value the Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health of all our pupils and staff. Therefore, we are proud to share that we have been successful in achieving the ‘Wellbeing Award for Schools’. The award celebrates all that we do as a school to promote the positive mental health and emotional wellbeing of all staff, pupils and parents/carers. 

Provided by Optimus Education, the Wellbeing Award for Schools recognises the work that we do in supporting the wellbeing of the school community and in promoting the understanding about mental health issues to reduce the stigma surrounding them in wider society.

The award, developed in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), focuses on ensuring that effective practices and provisions are in place to support and promote emotional wellbeing and mental health. The aim is to change the long-term culture of schools, embedding an ethos where mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all.

In gaining the award, Parkside Primary Academy has achieved the following objectives: 

• The school is committed to promoting and protecting positive emotional wellbeing and mental health by achieving the Wellbeing Award for Schools.
• The school has a clear vision and strategy for promoting and protecting emotional wellbeing and mental health, which is communicated to all involved with the school.
• The school has a positive culture which regards emotional wellbeing and mental health as the responsibility of all.
• The school actively promotes staff emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• The school prioritises professional learning and staff development on emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• The school understands the different types of emotional and mental health needs across the school and has systems in place to respond appropriately.
• The school actively seeks the ongoing participation of the whole-school community in its approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• The school works in partnerships with other schools, agencies and available specialist services to support emotional wellbeing and mental health.

The final report noted that, ‘The Academy has a number of huge strengths within its work on promoting and protecting emotional wellbeing and mental health. Perhaps the most important is a very keen understanding of what impacts on emotional wellbeing.’

The main impacts of the Award have been:

• A massively increased awareness of emotional wellbeing and mental health by staff, parents/carers and pupils.
• Children are now using different language and showing increased understanding.
• Children are now more resilient.
• An increased awareness of the services outside school which can assist in the promotion and protection of emotional wellbeing and mental health.

We are already formulating our next steps in further enhancing our provision and improving on our current positive outcomes. This includes introducing the Zones of Regulation throughout school to support children to regulate their feelings and emotions. Furthermore, plans are in place to extend the nurture provision to include a sensory room and garden to provide opportunity for more children to access support to meet their social, emotional and mental health needs. In addition, parent workshops will be arranged to give parents the opportunity to develop their understanding of children’s behaviours and provide strategies to support their wellbeing.   

The Award is reviewed in 2025 and we are looking to continue the process of development through to this date.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Parkside we are committed to supporting the positive mental health and wellbeing of our whole school community. Our whole school approach to promoting positive mental health aims to help all children develop the essential social and emotional skills they need to cope with lifes challenges. We aim to ensure that children are resilient and able to manage times of change and stress in order to reach their potential and lead happy and fulfilled lives.  

What are we doing as a school to support children with their mental health and emotional wellbeing?

The school works to implement positive ways of talking about and removing stigma around mental health.

As part of our whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing we implement a number of strategies such as : 

• Teaching children about what affects their mental health
• Teaching strategies to promote and maintain good mental health
• Ensuring children know where to go for help and support if needed
• Promoting self-esteem to ensure children understand their importance in the World
• Teaching children social and emotional skills to promote positive mental health
• Identifying emerging mental health needs of pupils by making sure staff can recognise signs and symptoms of mental health needs and know what to do should they have a concern
• Supporting staff to develop their skills and their own resilience
• Encouraging openness in talking about mental health and challenge negative attitudes

Wellbeing Wednesdays

 
Our weekly ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ allows our pupils to take part in a range of activities aimed at teaching them strategies to manage their feelings and emotions and make them feel good about themselves. These include sensory activities, yoga, sporting activities, arts and crafts or specific child-led interests. Remember to check the class blogs to see what children enjoy doing as part of our wellbeing sessions.
 

Parents and carers

Parents or carers should approach their child’s class teacher if they have any mental health concerns. This will be cascaded to the SENDCO. Alternatively parents can contact the SENDCO directly. In addition to offering universal support within school, we may also discuss with you additional support mechanisms available to you from the following agencies:

• School Nursing Team  
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• Play Therapist
• TADs
   

As a parent/carer your mental health and wellbeing is also important.Online resources to support you and your child's Mental Health and Wellbeing can be found on the following websites:
 
https://youngminds.org.uk/
https://www.annafreud.org/
www.place2be.org.uk/
www.nhs.uk/mental/wellbeing/
www.barnados.org.uk/
www.actionforchildren.org.uk/mental-health/children/

School Wellbeing Champions 

Our wellbeing champions are here to help and support you with any worries you may have. They meet regularly to come up with ideas for how we can keep improving what we do in school to ensure we maintain positive mental health and wellbeing.