Dubmire Primary Academy

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. - Helen Keller

At Dubmire, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers), and recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. All children go through ups and downs during their school career and some face significant life events. At Dubmire, we take emotional health and mental well being very seriously.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Team

Our Wellbeing Team is made up of staff members from around the different areas of the school. Miss Hardy is Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead but together the team are looking at ways to support children, staff and carers to maintain positive mental health. They meet at least once every term and have regular discussions to see how we can further support the wellbeing of our school community.

Miss K Hardy Mental Health and Well-being lead Mrs T Brown Miss J Campbell Mrs S-J White Mrs H Anderson Mr J Fisher Mrs McCree Mr C Milburn

Wellbeing Events

Children's Mental Health Week

This year's theme was MY VOICE MATTERS! Children engaged with a range of activities across school from learning

and singing 'I love my body' in Nursery to creating individual vision boards in Year 6.

Neurodiversity Week

We used a resource from Mentally Healthy Schools to explain the term neurodiversity to all children.

Then we used stories and picture books across school to celebrate amazing, neurodiverse children.

https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/what-is-neurodiversity-videos-for-children/

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Healthy Heads Newsletter Summer 2024.pdf	Download
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Pupil Wellbeing

At Dubmire, we promote a mentally healthy environment through:

Promoting our school values and a sense of belonging #TEAMDUBS!
Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision making PUPIL LEADERS
Providing opportunities to work and play together OPAL
Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements in order to promote self-esteem
Promoting inclusion through a diverse curriculum RAINBOW FLAG
Promote personal development and support aspirations

At Dubmire, we offer different levels of support depending on need:

Universal needs - the needs of all children and young people and opportunities to develop resilience

Additional needs - the needs of those made vulnerable at some time by life experiences

Targeted needs - the needs of those children and young people who need differentiated support and resources

Specialist needs - those children and young people who are having specialist intervention by trained professionals.

Please let Miss Hardy, or your child's teacher, know if you feel like your child would benefit from additional in school support.

Parent and Carer Wellbeing

At Dubmire, we strive to build positive relationships with our families as we know how vital support networks are to wellbeing. Staff promote children's successes via Class Dojo which is also a useful communication channel. SLT are available outside the school each morning (especially on a Tuesday when the coffee van is on site) if parents/carers ever need a chat or a helping hand. We also try and get parents and carers into school where possible with events like Mystery Reader and the Little Acorns Afternoon Tea.

Staff Wellbeing

A happy and healthy workforce is vital for the success of our pupils. The culture of a school therefore is critical in ensuring that staff have an enjoyable, rewarding working environment in which all colleagues believe the demands of their job are reasonable and manageable.

As a school, we place great emphasis on maintaining a work-life balance and strive to reduce the stress and pressures that come with the job.

In school strategies

Wellbeing twilights. These can range from Bingo to Races but are really an opportunity to come together and have a laugh
Informal weekly briefings where we discuss what's happening next week and eat our breakfast sarnies
Review of the effective feedback and marking policy to reduce marking workload
Termly planners are shared in advance so staff know which meetings are coming up and each term and ensure effective use of directed time
Referrals to counselling services
Supporting charities, staying active and working together as a team.

As a community, we work hard to support each others wellbeing. However, we know that there are times when people may need a little extra support.

Below are some links to useful websites, reading material and support groups that you may find useful should you need some support with your own or others mental wellbeing.