Wellbeing Support Services
The Pastoral Team
The Pastoral Support Team at St Nicholas works with children in school to help them access all aspects of school life. The team provide support for pupils, who are concerned that they may be experiencing a negative impact on their mental health and would benefit from sign posting and support from a member of staff.
One of the priority roles of the St Nicholas Pastoral team is to ensure children and young people can get timely and appropriate support for their mental health and wellbeing. Part of this remit is to build effective working relationships with partner agencies and local mental health services.
The other priority, and we would suggest most important, is to increase the opportunity for pupils to access support for mental health problems sooner before the mental health problems escalate and become harder to address. At St Nicholas school, this means that the pastoral team and staff aim to identify issues early and put in place required interventions; introducing preventive measures and developing pupils’ and staff’s mental health awareness.
The Pastoral Team include:
- Pastoral lead – Dr Cherniaeva
- Pastoral First Aider -Mrs Hambidge
- SEN coordinator – Mrs Broekhuis
There is always an adult who can listen at St Nicholas.
It can also be your class teacher or a member of our support staff.
Overview of Areas of Pastoral Support and Care
Peer Support:
- St Nicholas Ambassadors (e.g. sport ambassadors, news reporters etc.)
- School Council
- Buddies
- Clubs led by children (e.g. reading club, art club etc.)
There is always someone to talk to.
At St Nicholas we develop a culture of peer support, when trained peers run support groups or self-help groups and focus on emotional support, sharing experiences, education and practical activities.
Broad and Balanced Curriculum
- PSHE lessons on wellbeing and mental health
- Social and emotional learning (e.g. emotion jars)
- Weekly class worships focusing on values (Roots and Fruits)
- Whole school weekly celebrating worships
- Staff led clubs (e.g. talking and drawing; well-being chats, friendship sessions; choir, sports clubs etc.)
Breaktime gives opportunities for our pupils to develop their social skills and communication. A well-organised break from schoolwork helps to restore energy and re-focus for more productive learning. That is why we provide balanced activities, when children can have some time to themselves or participate in activities such as:
- Lunch time games with our PE coach
- Pupil led clubs (reading, drawing)
- Brain Gym (pupils lead a set of exercises after breaktime to help refocus for the next lesson).
Sense of Belonging and Attachment
- House activities (talent show, earth day, art day, sports day etc)
- Whole School worship sessions (e.g.singing etc)
- Whole school dance workshop
Positive culture
At St Nicholas there is a shared sense of belonging, purpose and a desire for the vision of the school to be fulfilled. No-one is working for themselves, no-one is left out. All pupils, parents/carers and staff are made to feel welcome and everyone is treated as a part of the community. We aim to nurture a positive school culture by:
- employing a therapeutic behaviouralal approach and the use of positive language
- introducing an anti-bullying culture (e.g. peaceful problem solving)
- celebrating positive behaviour and attitude to learning via rewards, weekly celebration assemblies.
- applying an inclusive approach to teaching and learning, for instance, by using technology in teaching in small groups to meet the needs of children and staff.
Staff training and Wellbeing
At St Nicholas we recognise that our staff’s health and wellness is paramount and fundamental to the high-quality teaching and support we provide to our pupils – that’s where employee well-being strategies come into place! They include:
- Staff wellbeing committee
- Governors’ well-being meeting
- Staff mental health and wellbeing training
- Staff termly well-being events
Parental engagement:
We believe that parental engagement has a positive impact on students’ learning and wellbeing. St Nicholas staff tailor school communications to encourage positive dialogue about the learning, mental health and wellbeing of children. Parental engagement strategies include:
- Christian celebrations
- Meet your teacher event
- Parents’ Open Day
- Parents’ evenings
- PTA events
- Weekly learning notes
- Whole class assemblies
Whole School Interventions and Strategies
Our whole school approach to wellbeing and mental health provides genuine engagement with the pastoral initiatives across the entire community: staff, pupils, parents and carers, governors and external services. It includes multiple components and strategies including early identification and varied (e.g. class, small group, individual) interventions.
We can offer a range of individual or group therapeutic interventions which aim to improve the Mental Health and Wellbeing of our children.
Strategy | Purpose and details |
Anger Management
| This can be a weekly group work or 1:1 sessions often delivered over a half term or term period of time. These sessions are tailored to the needs of the pupil(s). Focus are on triggers, physical signs, measuring emotions, exploring strategies and sharing strategies. |
Therapeutic Art
| Creative expression can foster healing and contributes to wellbeing. Arts and creative activities take place on a one-to-one basis (e.g. Talking and Drawing activity) or in a group. It is a safe and non-intrusive, therapeutic method of working with children who may have underlying emotional difficulties or have suffered a form of trauma which is preventing them from realising their full potential. |
Lunchtime Clubs | A targeted provision for children who find lunchtimes difficult or a challenge and for children with medical needs. It provides a calm space to read, draw or play games. This activity is peer led and run by School Ambassadors, who share their experience and knowledge to help their school friends to have good time.
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Emotional Coaching and Zones of Regulation
| This is a whole school approach to develop emotional literacy. We employ a three-step technique that helps children to understand their feelings. Step 1 recognises the child’s feelings, naming them and empathising. Step 2 sets limits on the behaviour. Step 3 is to help the child find a more appropriate way to manage their behaviour. The Zones of Regulation are used to teach children self-control and how to self-regulate using strategies or tools to help them move between the 4 coloured zones. Safer Spaces Classrooms provide safe spaces – a cosy corner, where a child can take themselves when they need to self-regulate into a calmer state. |
Calm Start
| A small group of invited children meet every morning to complete a calming activity to settle in readiness for the school day. This strategy helps those who have anxiety and find it difficult to start a school day. |
Journaling (KS2)
| Using narrative therapy principles to help children tell the many stories in their lives that make them stronger. This approach can be used with children where a difficult ‘story’ is dominating their lives. |
Visual Timetable | Every classroom has a visual timetable that enables children to understand the structure and sequence of the school day, which can reduce anxiety levels. Pictures are used to represent the lessons and activities.
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Be Happy Club | Sessions allow for a safe time and place to help children explore their thoughts and emotions, make sense of things that they find hard to put into words and resolve any complicated feelings. Children learn the strategies to deal with their fears and/or worries and practice applying them to improve their wellbeing. The tools include steps to approach a problem and ways of looking at it. |
Mindfulness Sessions | Children of all ages can benefit from sessions with our Mindfulness Coach- the simple practice of bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment. It can be a useful tool for decreasing anxiety, relieving stress and promoting happiness |
Sandplay Therapy
| A therapeutic intervention that makes use of sand and toy figures to create scenes of miniature worlds that reflect a child’s struggles and concerns. Sandplay is well suited for working with children who often cannot express their inner feelings in words.
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Lego Therapy
| Working in small groups, children are supported in developing their communication skills through a highly structured programme which is also fun and engaging. Through Lego Therapy, children can learn to communicate with others, express their feelings, change their behaviour and develop problem-solving skills.
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Drawing and Talking
| A safe and non-intrusive, therapeutic method of working with children who may have underlying emotional difficulties or have suffered a form of trauma which is preventing them from realising their full potential.
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Individual support
Along with whole school strategies, St Nicholas school also provides individual support for children. This support includes, but is not limited to, the following strategies or activities.
Strategy | Purpose and details |
Individual reward chart
| A visual chart tailored to an individual child’s needs where the day is broken down into small sections with targets. The child checks-in with the Pastoral Support Team and will work towards an incentive to celebrate their success.
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Sensory Breaks
| A short, sensory motor skills sessions that is designed to improve brain processing efficiency and enables children to reach the level of alertness needed to concentrate during lessons.
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Talk-about
| Small group, social skills sessions, that supports children to learn life skills such as conversation, friendship and problem solving while developing self-awareness and self-esteem.
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