Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Anston Park Infant School, we believe in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing to ensure our school is a community where everyone feels able to thrive and be themselves.

What is mental health?

The World Health Organisation defines mental health as a state of wellbeing in which every individual achieves their potential, copes with the normal stresses of life, works productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community.  Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.  It affects how we think, feel and act.

Good mental health and wellbeing is just as important as good physical health.  Like physical health, mental health can range across a spectrum from healthy to unwell, it can fluctuate on a daily basis and change over time.

What happens in school?

In school, we teach children about what it means to have good mental health and wellbeing throughout our curriculum and daily practice.

Our PSHE curriculum focuses on developing children’s social and emotional skills.  It is about helping children to understand and manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviour and build skills that help them to thrive, such as working in a team and self-awareness.

What if my child is experiencing difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing?

Mental health doesn’t mean being happy all the time and neither does it mean avoiding stress altogether.  One of the most important ways to help your child is to listen to them and take their feelings seriously.

In many instances, children and young people’s negative feelings and worries usually pass with the support of their parents and families.  It is helpful for the school to know what they are going through at these times so that staff in school can be aware of their needs and support them appropriately.

Coping and adjusting to setbacks are critical life skills for children, just as they are for adults, but it is important that they develop positive, rather than negative, coping skills.

If you are ever worried about your child’s mental health and wellbeing then, just as you would about any concerns that you have about their learning, come and talk to us.

Looking after yourself 

If things are getting you down, it is important to recognise this.  Talk to someone you trust and see what they think.  It is easy to go on struggling with difficult situations because you feel that you should be able to cope and don’t deserve any help.

Come and talk to us, in confidence, and let us know when things are tough.  As much as you try to hide how you are feeling from your child, they will notice even the smallest changes.

Go to your GP if things are really getting on top of you.  Asking for some support is a sign of strength.  You can’t help your child if you are not being supported yourself.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing

There are 5 steps we can all take to improve our mental health and wellbeing:

Links to useful websites:

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/

Young Minds - Parent Survival Guide https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-guide-to-looking-after-yourself/

NHS - Every mind matters https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/

How to be mindful 

https://family.gonoodle.com/activities/from-mindless-to-mindful

https://family.gonoodle.com/activities/lets-unwind