Now more than ever, it is so important that we are thinking about our own mental health and finding ways to support our children during challenging and uncertain times.

As a Head of School my role as Mental Health Champion for Waterman Primary has enabled our community to thrive with the philosophy that strong emotional and mental health is the key to successful lifelong learning and happiness. This ensures that all members of our communities are supported in times of need. Our curriculum prioritises personal development and we have access to a variety of support and resources to facilitate and foster positive mental health in our school.

At Waterman Primary School, our sensory room has been designed as a safe environment in which children can experience a quiet space that promotes self-regulation. This room provides a variety of equipment for our highly vulnerable and disadvantaged children to experience. This space is also be available for children and their families who experience trauma at any point during their school life.

Our high quality curriculum ensures that children are encouraged to learn the skills of regulation as they experience a calm, engaging learning environments where they can learn the skills of happily working as a team in a harmonious and caring community.

We are committed to ensure inclusion, not only in the school community, but that of the wider community. Our journey continues as we strive to become a Thrive School; a trauma-informed practice with a focus on improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and their families. We are really excited about this journey and are looking forward to keeping the conversation about strong, positive mental and emotional health at the forefront of everything.

As well as myself our Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) are Mrs. Purcell, Mrs. Osborne and Miss Roney. Mental Health First Aiders attend training which looks at how to support young people and adults to recover faster from mental and emotional health issues and how to intervene more effectively at points of mental health crisis.

We believe that emotional wellbeing is just as important as physical health. Good mental health helps children develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. Mrs. Collison, Mrs. Purcell and Miss Roney support the children in our school with their emotional health.

Mrs. Osborne is currently trained as a MHFAR and it is her role to support all the adults in our community, including parents and carers. Once trained, MHFAR have a through understanding of common mental health issues for adults.

Our MHFA have been trained to have:

An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing

Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues

Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress

Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening

Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support.

Please ask a member of staff in our school office if you would like to speak to one of our Mental Health First Aider Responders (MHFAR). Alternatively, send an email to waterman.office@heartsacademy.uk and a member of the MHFAR team will get in touch with you.