How We Support Mental Health and Wellbeing
Senior Mental Health Lead and Pastoral Lead
The Department for Education has recommended that all schools and colleges appoint a Senior Mental Health Lead by 2025. Mrs Clair trained as a Senior Mental Health Lead in 2022 and is supported by Miss Milward who is our Pastoral Lead.
Their roles involve creating a whole school approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing as well as an open culture in which staff and pupils can discuss their mental health and wellbeing openly.
ELSA Network
At Gatley Primary School, we are proud to be part of the ELSA Network.
In schools, ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants and at Gatley, these are Mrs Robertson and Mrs Sutcliffe who completed their training in 2022. ELSA support in schools is a project designed to help schools support the emotional needs of their pupils. ELSA recognises that children and young people learn best when they feel happier and their emotional needs are being addressed. This initiative was developed and supported by educational psychologists who used their knowledge of how children develop socially and emotionally and understood how to apply this to meet the needs of students.
ELSAs are trained to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils in their school who may be experiencing temporary or long-term additional emotional needs.
Children's Mental Health First Aiders
Youth Mental Health First Aiders have:
- An in-depth understanding of young people's mental health and the factors can affect wellbeing
- Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
- The confidence to step in, reassure and support a young person in distress
- Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgmental listening
- The knowledge to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support - whether that is through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS or a mix of these - engaging with parents, carers and external agencies where appropriate
- The ability to support a young person with a long-term mental health issue or disability to thrive
- The tools to help you look after your own mental health and wellbeing
Our Mental Health First Aiders are Mrs Newton, Miss Gibbons, Mrs Phoenix and Miss Milward.
