Mental health literacy for the whole school community

Mental health literacy for the whole school community

A few of us created a staff study group and decided to review our PSHE curriculum. We decided to re-write it based upon PSHE guidance and the outcomes of our pupil survey, which was carried out previously. The curriculum was quite outdated and there wasn't much in there that relating to mental health, SEND and autism.

From our pupil survey we had found that children in Key Stage 1 can't always articulate their emotions very well and so we created an emotional thesaurus to help with this. The thesaurus also helps with their vocabulary and creative writing.

We have used the 'Talking Mental Health' animation and lesson/assembly plans by Anna Freud which are excellent and encouraged the use of the phrases 'big feelings' and 'small feelings' across the school.    There is also an emphasis on self-regulation, which is covered in our behaviour and self-regulation policy. We have a colour chart which is used by everyone throughout the school which encourages pupils to recognise their feelings and behaviour and to regulate them in more healthier ways.

Our SLT have also taken the approach of focusing on a kinder and more inclusive approach to traditional teaching observation which is non-judgemental and focuses on the pupils’ learning rather than teaching methods.