Well Being and Mental Health
Looking after your mental health is so important! In school we have adopted ‘The 5 Ways to Wellbeing‘ that have been identified by the New Economics Foundation.
5 ways to wellbeing are relevant for adults as well as children! Here is some information about how you can improve wellbeing with these in mind…
At Ryhope Infant School we believe every child has a voice.
As a staff we practice ‘active listening’, we encourage children to talk about their experiences, we listen to any issues they may have and support them with the best ways to deal with them.
At Ryhope Infant School we want our children to become ‘resilient, respectful, develop relationships, take safe risks and to be resourceful.
We call these our 5 R’s.
Although we offer our children appropriate strategies in the event of someone behaving negatively towards them, our curriculum is centred around:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful Relationships
- Online Relationships
- Being Safe
As part of our PSHE curriculum we learn about bullying and support children to understand the various forms of bullying and how they can deal with it. We make use of online resources, videos and team building activities to do this. We focus on ‘Respectful Relationships’ and Friendship.
Meet our Ryhope Infant School Academy “Well Being Team Champions”…
We have a team of “Well-Being Champions” at Ryhope, all of whom have roles which ensure that the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, staff and our families is forefront and well supported. Mrs Allen and Mrs Simpson take the lead on our Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum, and Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum, ensuring that we experience visitors and take part in national initiatives that will support healthy minds and bodies. Mrs Allen’s role in school also extends to Anti-Bullying lead and monitoring Social, Moral, Cultural and Spiritual Development, whilst Mrs Simpson also takes the lead on P.E, Health and Wellbeing, all very important components to ensuring our minds and bodies are well cared for.
We now also have a Fundraising Committee, which at present comprises of Mrs Simpson and Mrs Scotter who coordinate a variety of initiatives throughout the year, including discos and sporting events, to fund enrichment opportunities and enhance our wellbeing curriculum even further.
Our Link Governor For PSHE is Mrs Kathryn Pinchen, who has a special interest in Emotional Wellbeing…
We are here to help…
As always, school is your first stop if you need any support or advice, please get in touch if you need us.
Mrs Allen and Mrs Scott are in charge of parent links and are available to listen to our families if they need help and will signpost to relevant support services if needed. Miss Lumsden, our SENCO, is there to support with any SEND needs.
Useful Websites…
Anti-Bullying alliance: https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
Heathy Minds: https://www.healthymindsforhappykids.com/
Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk/
Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/wellbeing/wellbeing/
You can find great relaxing tunes by Rockabye Baby on YouTube for children to chill out to!
Here is a snippet:
Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube is also great to relax the body and mind! Here is a taster:
Kooth provides free, safe and anonymous mental health and wellbeing service, providing online counselling and support for children and young people aged 10 to 25 years old in Sunderland.
Kooth is the UK’s largest digital mental health provider and is a confidential way for young people to get help with their emotional wellbeing. You can seek advice and information, or to speak to someone who understands.
The online service offers peer to peer support through moderated discussion forums, as well as self-help through reading or submitting content. Kooth’s fully trained, qualified counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners are also available to talk to every day from midday to 10pm every weekday, and from 6pm to 10pm at weekends.
You can drop in for one-to-one text-based chats, or more structured booked sessions depending on your individual needs. There are no waiting lists, no referrals and no thresholds required to access the service, which is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and delivered by Kooth.
Watch the video below to find out more and join Kooth now at www.kooth.com.
