Teach Primary Issue 18.4

60 | www.teachwire.net use zones of regulation ( zonesofregulation.com ) to help pupils more easily identify their feelings and build strategies to support these different emotions. This approach supports effective social emotional learning, and while there is no ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ zone for a child to be in, certain zones may mean they aren’t within their window of tolerance, and therefore need support to increase or reduce their energy levels. Encouraging our people to model this process, we demonstrate how mood can move up and down a scale throughout the course of a day depending on what has occurred. As well as the old adage of ‘tomorrow is a new day’, we have the mindset that every lesson, and even every hour, offers a chance to reset and start over. The right support We have a range of professionals working with us, including a team of speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, school nurses, clinical and educational psychologists, school counsellors and mental health practitioners from the Enfield MYME team. The team works holistically to ensure our learners are getting the support they need. Some of our support staff have also become pastoral mentors. This involves meeting with pupils who are experiencing difficulties, and undertaking short intervention programmes. Collaboration between our mentors and other professionals has been key to developing this holistic offer in school. Beyond this, we are incredibly fortunate to work with a range of external agencies and partners to provide wrap-around care for our learners, tailored to their specific needs. This includes colleagues from The Educational Psychology Service, CAMHS and SCAN, Cheviots, Childrens’ Social Care, Early Help team and the Enfield Advisory Service for Autism. We have also recently worked with a music mentoring company called Everybody Loves Music (ELM), which has been inspirational for our pupils. While not deemed a therapeutic intervention in a traditional sense, the songwriting and music production sessions have provided learners with an outlet for self-expression, which in turn has boosted the children’s self-esteem and confidence. The wider school community Of course, wellbeing extends beyond the school gates, and our wider school community plays an important role within the network of support. Collaboration with parents, carers, and local external partners allows us to ensure learners receive the support they need beyond the classroom, while helping to mitigate issues, or proactively prevent them from arising. To create a wide supportive ecosystem, we engage with parents wherever possible and provide guidance on supporting their child’s mental health. Part of our parent support advisor’s role is undertaking weekly home visits to deliver food donations, which is a good opportunity to check in with parents and carers. As part of this approach, we even developed our own preventative educational resources in partnership with the Childrens’ Society. These support young people who might be at risk of being exploited. It is essential to consider and support the role of others within a young person’s wellbeing network – teachers, staff, parents and loved ones. It is only via this wider strategic approach that we can take a holistic approach to wellbeing and provide meaningful wrap-around care that benefits learners and helps them flourish both within and beyond the school gates. TP KEY FACTORS FOR A WHOLE- SCHOOL APPROACH Develop your village: In support of the well-known saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, build a stronger community by getting to know your local partners and creating opportunities for collaboration. Empower your learners: Prioritising social and emotional education helps learners develop resilience and understand how to look after their own mental health or where to seek help if they need it. This will ensure they can succeed beyond school or whenever they are away from their familiar support networks. Utilise the expertise of your people: Not all pupils need counselling from external providers – sometimes they just want a friendly, trusted person to speak to and to show an interest in their lives. Provide check-ins with a trusted adult: Some children who may be struggling can really benefit from a regular catch-up with a trusted adult they have identified. This can be invaluable in creating positive attachments at school, as well as a sense of safety. Listen to parent and carer voices: Don’t assume that you know what support your parents and carers need. Provide opportunities to capture their voice, including coffee mornings and check-ins. Personalise support to the needs of learners: Explore a range of interventions and therapies and be open to changing providers to better meet the ever-changing nature of your school context. westleaschool.co.uk Catherine Goodwin is head of pastoral development at West Lea school.