Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
At Waterloo Lodge School we aim to promote positive mental health for every member of community, staff and student. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches aimed at vulnerable students. In addition to promoting positive mental health, we aim to recognise and respond to mental ill health.
In an average classroom, three children will be suffering from a diagnosable mental health issue, and children with learning disabilities are over 6 times more likely to have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder than their peers who do not have learning disabilities.
By developing and implementing practical, relevant and effective mental health policies and procedures we can promote a safe and stable environment for students affected both directly and indirectly by mental ill health.
Mental Health/Wellbeing Initiatives currently in place at Longdon Park School
Staff
Staff secret support – staff are buddied up and have a ‘secret support’ who keeps an eye on them throughout the term. If they see them struggle in anyway or feel like they are having a bad day, week or just not themselves will drop them a note or treat to cheer them up and let them know they are not alone.
TA appreciation day; Support worker appreciation day; Teacher appreciation day – cakes and gift bags distributed to all staff in recognition of their hard work on these national awareness days
Exercise sessions for staff on a Monday run by Longdon Park’s very own PE Instructor – Fin. These vary from yoga sessions, HIIT sessions, badminton, gym sessions and all are welcome.
Themed days e.g. #helloyellow, Halloween, world book day; these give staff (and students) opportunities to dress up, be silly, have fun and raise money/awareness of a range of charities.
Mince Pie Monday – during December mince pies are available to all staff in the hall following de-brief.
Lennie the Longdon Park Elf – supporting staff in the run up to Christmas Lennie the Longdon Park Elf will be popping up around school with a range of treats to support everyone’s Mental Elf.
Students
SLTea and Biscuits
What is SLTea and Biscuits?
- Every week a selected group of students will get the opportunity to spend morning pastoral time with two members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
- During their selected week they will get the opportunity to tell us how they are feeling, what they like and don’t like about school and what we can do to make anything better! This might be activities they want to go on, rewards they might like to earn or what they might like for their classrooms.
- We will do our best to make these things happen for them
What can I have during SLTea and Biscuits?
There will be a selection of drinks available during the time including:
- Tea
- Hot chocolate
- Juice
- There will be a variety of biscuits to choose from.
Time to talk
- Please remember that if any students want to talk about something and it is not their SLTea session there are still staff around to listen to them about how they are feeling.
- The faces on their helping hands in their classrooms are there to listen and help them each day.
Emotion of the week
Emotion of the week allows students to learn to recognise and understand emotions in themselves and others through the thoughts, physical feelings and behaviours associated with each emotion. This helps them to become more able to regulate their own responses to emotions. It encourages the vision and understanding that they are allowed to feel all emotions (even emotions that are perceived to be negative) and encourages positive strategies to manage the physical feelings, thoughts and behaviours that come with the emotions. All of our emotions in emotion of the week are linked to and associated with the Zones of Regulation that is used within classrooms and therapy sessions.
Key Worker Discussions
3 Houses (house of dreams, house of worries, house of good) – Every term.
Parents
A Wellbeing Booklet
Information on our website signposting parents to external sources and help with regard to all aspect of mental health.