Mental Health and Wellbeing at Ryton Federation

Ryton Federation has identified Mrs Fiona Steel as the Mental Health Lead.

“Mental health is defined as 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.”

With such a huge amount of time spent in the classroom, our school provides an ideal environment for promoting good emotional well-being and identifying early behaviour changes and signs of mental distress. The social and emotional skills, knowledge and behaviours that young people learn in the classroom can help them to build resilience and set the pattern for how they will manage their mental health throughout their lives.

Emotional well-being is a clear indicator of academic achievement, success and satisfaction in later life. Evidence shows that mental health and well-being programmes in schools, can lead to significant improvements in children’s mental health, and social and emotional skills. Well-being provision in schools can also lead to reductions in classroom misbehaviour and bullying.

Ryton Federation

Ryton Federation recognises the need to continuously adapt and respond to the needs of the children we work with. Considering the points above we will endeavour to work with families, social care and health services to provide the best possible education for the 21st century child with special educational needs.
 
Ryton Federation has identified Mrs Fiona Steel as the Mental Health Lead who will be responsible for;
 
1.     Promoting Positive Mental Health

• To work with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in setting a culture within the school that values all pupils, allows them to feel a sense of belonging, and makes it possible to express feelings and emotions as appropriate using available communication aids.
• To work with the Senior Leadership Team in setting high expectations for all pupils to have appropriate support that meets needs and encourages positive engagement and progress.
• To work with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that all adults working in the school understand their responsibilities to children whose persistent mental health difficulties mean they need input from health and social care professionals.
• To work with the parents and carers as well as the pupils themselves, ensuring their opinions and views are taken into account.
• To provide continuous professional development for staff to promote the importance of good mental health for all. Clearly signpost that this is the responsibility of all members of school staff and community, informing them about early signs of mental health problems. This will include what is and isn’t a cause for concern, and what to do if they think they spotted a developing problem.
• To work with SLT to develop clear systems and processes to help staff who identify children with possible mental health problems.
• To work with identified professionals to provide interventions for pupils with mental health problems: To asses, to plan, to action and to review.

2. Identification of pupils/families requiring support or intervention

• To use school systems to prioritise pupils whose patterns of attainment, attendance or behaviour might indicate a cause for concern.
• To communicate effectively with parents, class teachers, Key Stage leaders, SLT, CYPS, Community Paediatricians, Educational Psychologists, Therapists, counsellors and Behaviour Support Services to spot where difficult/dangerous or unusual behaviour may have a root cause that needs addressing.
• To closely monitor groups of pupils who are more vulnerable to mental health difficulties: looked after children/children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• To work closely with the above professionals using evidence based tools such as behaviour charts, behaviour logs, where appropriate, and the various individual pupil plans that will show the changes in strategies and approaches to support individual needs over time. Plans may include:
  • Behaviour Management Plans
  • Risk Management plan
  • Anxiety plans and maps
  • Sensory Integration Plans
  • Pupil profiles
  • Communication profile/snap shot
  • Care Plans
     

3. Interventions

• To provide appropriate interventions that enable pupils with identified mental health problems to achieve a sociable life.
• To develop social skills of pupils with mental health problems. Give pupils opportunities to interact with others in a positive way.
• To work with SLT to provide positive classroom management, effective use of the environment, behaviour analysis and adjust expectations as required to encourage pro social behaviour and positive learning experiences.
• To review sensory integration plan to support pupils to regulate behaviour where mental health interferes with this function.
• To review sensory diet to include regular timetabled physical or therapeutic input.
• To work with allocated Social Workers or Early Help Workers to support parents with a social care package. Attend CIN meetings where possible as the representative from an educational aspect.
• To work closely with Educational Psychologists, Behaviour Services, CYPS and HINT to provide detailed and consistent behaviour logs, up to date plans  and to attend meetings to provide a clear perspective of the pupil from  an educational perspective.

 
4. Referral and Commissioning

• To link with local, regional and national initiatives, such as Trailblazer (RISE) and Kalmer Counselling.
• To refer serious cases to CYPS.
• To provide detailed documentary evidence of the symptoms/behaviour, presentation and strategies that have been used.
• To encourage the students and their parents to speak to their GP.
• To engage parents, health and social care in discussions. (CIN, TAF meetings)
• To work with the local specialist CYPS, RISE and Kalmer Counselling providers.
• Contribute to strategic planning around improving awareness and our provision for pupils with identified mental health problems. Provide appropriate information support to the Headteacher and governing body.
• Promote a positive working ethos by developing support staff in their role and applying staffing policies and procedures equitably.
• Developing mutually beneficial links between the school and the wider community which support pupils to access the wider world.