Mental Health & Wellbeing

At St Michael and All Angles CofE VA Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our school community. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play. 

At our school, we promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging

• Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making

• Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements in order to promote self-esteem

• Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others

• Providing opportunities to reflect

• Access to appropriate support that meets their needs

• Helping children to understand their emotions and feelings better and to feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries

• Helping children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks 

At St Michael and All Angels, wellbeing is truly at the forefront of everything we do. We believe that wellbeing is key for our children to lead a happy life in school and beyond. We strive to look after the wellbeing of our pupils and staff as well as parents/carers and our wider community. We recognise that many different factors can affect wellbeing and are committed to ensuring our staff are well informed and up to date with any new developments to deal with situations effectively, sensitively and successfully. For this reason, wellbeing forms part of all staff’s professional development. 

We are committed to providing an environment where children and young people feel safe, valued and supported as well as being equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to look after their own mental health. We understand the link between mental health and physical health. We ensure our children have plenty of opportunities to be active throughout the school day; with their break and lunch times where children engage with our OPAL play, during our PE lessons, throughout active blasts and lessons as well as our after school offer,our sports events and teams. As staff we encourage this by actively talking about how we look after our own mental health. 

In our school, we encourage children to talk and verbalise what they are feeling and become comfortable in doing this. We make sure our children can learn to communicate and socialise with each other effectively forming those positive relationships which are key to mental wellbeing. By using a whole school approach to Growth Mindset, we teach our children to build their resilience and that mistakes are there to be learnt from. We also want children to build up a knowledge of outside agencies and support networks so that they can seek further advice and support if needed. 

At St. Michaels we are very lucky to have a range of resources, staff, interventions and support networks to look after our whole school community. 

• We use the 'Zones of Regulation' to support children with their feelings and emotions and also to give them ways to self regulate.

• Nurture groups.

• Mindfulness sessions and wellbeing clubs. 

• Wellbeing Warriors pupil group

• A wonderful outdoor sensory garden.

• A nurture room with sensory area.

• Regular assemblies with a focus on wellbeing and mental health. 

• Awareness days and weeks. 

• Weekly PSHE lessons which are carefully delivered and personalised to each class. 

• Wellbeing weeks

• Wellbeing sections on our weekly newsletter which includes signposts to external agencies and further support. 

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Wellbeing team

At the heart of our wellbeing offer is our school wellbeing team. Whilst we recognise that looking after wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility, we have designated members of staff available to support children and staff and keep up to date with new training.

​Our Senior Mental Health Lead is Mrs Richardson

Wellbeing award 2025 and Compassionate Hub School Status 2026

We are delighted to have received the Wellbeing Award for Schools which really highlighted how committed our staff and whole school community are to improving everyone's mental health. During the process our whole wellbeing provision was looked at and we were delighted with our excellent report. We have also obtained the Compassionate Hub School status awarded by the LEHSS this year too!

We offer different levels of support:

Universal Support - To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance, developing resilience for all. Additional support - For those who may have short-term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.  

Targeted support - For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors.

Lead staff members to contact if you are concerned about your child’s mental health: Mrs Richardson (Senior Mental Health Lead, DSL) Miss Ruddy (Pastoral Lead) Mrs Lamb (SENCO, Deputy DSL) and Mrs Coffey (Deputy Head and Deputy DSL.)

 What do I do if I am worried about my child's mental health or wellbeing?
You can:

• Go to your GP as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services or speak to a School Nurse.

• Talk to your child’s class teacher or teaching assistant about your child's needs or your concerns.

• Talk to the school’s pastoral lead (Ashleigh Ruddy) or Mrs Lamb (SENCO) or Mrs Richardson (Headteacher) or Mrs Coffey (Deputy Headteacher.)

• Young Minds - The Parents Helpline is available to offer advice to anyone worried about a child or young person under 25. You may have questions about a child’s behaviour, emotional well-being, or mental health condition.

• Early Help – children and family well-being service. Parents can make a referral for support from a Well-being Practitioner via the Lancashire County Council website.

For information and resources re: understanding and improving mental health and well-being, contact MIND. Tel: 0300 123 3393    https://www.mind.org.uk/

 https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/- A public health England and NHS site to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others.

Please find below links to suport that is readily available to us all.

Click here to access the NHS website page detailing the Five Steps To Mental Wellbeing suitable for both parents and children.

Every Mind Matters is here to help you manage and maintain your mental health, as good mental health makes such a difference.

Every Mind Matters gives you simple and practical advice to get a healthier mind and get more out of life – from how to deal with stress and anxiety, to boosting our mood or sleeping better. It will help you spot the signs of common mental health conditions, get personalised practical self-care tips and information on further support. You'll also learn about what you can do to help others.

Click here for more information

Shout is a 24/7 UK crisis text service available for times when people feel they need immediate support.

By texting ‘SHOUT’ to ‘85258’ a Texter will be put in touch with a trained Crisis Volunteer (CV) who will chat to them using trained techniques via text. The service is designed to help individuals to think more clearly and to take their next steps to feeling better.

Click here for further information about shout.