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Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing

Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.

St. Mary’s Catholic High School has a tiered approach to supporting the Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing of our pupils. Our whole school mission and ethos, policies, pastoral system and best practice support positive Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing of all children. Where children show emerging needs, they are supported by targeted provision available in school through the Wellbeing Team (Early Help Provision). Pupils with more complex needs will supported by the help of specialist external agencies.

At St Mary’s, we aim to promote positive mental health for every member of our staff and student body. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches to support our young people. In addition to promoting positive mental health, we aim to recognise and respond to mental ill health. In 2022, 18.0% of children aged 7 to 16 years and 22.0% of young people aged 17 to 24 years had a probable mental disorder (NHS statistics). St Mary’s has the established Wellbeing Team in-house to address the needs of our most vulnerable students and families, in conjunction with the existing pastoral support structure. The Wellbeing Team is comprised of an Early Help Coordinator and Family Resource worker (also the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) School Counsellors, Compass Changing Loves Mental Health Support Team and the NHS School Nursing Team. The Wellbeing Team does not replace Social Care or clinical mental health support.

There is more awareness than ever about mental health and the importance of emotional wellbeing throughout our society. There are many agencies and organisations we can turn to for help when we feel unable to cope, however, we can also look after ourselves more effectively to protect our emotional health. We are keen to instil resilience and independence in all of our students, and self-care plays a significant part in this. How much we sleep, what we eat and drink, how much we exercise all affect how we feel physically and emotionally. The world we live in is arguably more demanding than in the past, so the strategies we use to cope with stress are also crucial in maintaining a healthy, positive and productive lifestyle.

To encourage and support our school community in developing and maintaining positive emotional health, we have complied an A-Z directory of organisations and advice on self-care. We hope that this will help our students, parents, carers and staff in taking a proactive approach to taking good care of their wellbeing. We believe that this is essential for everyone to achieve their God given potential and lead a happy and purposeful life.

Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing

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Headteacher / Mrs M Dengate

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