Staff & Pupil Well-being

At Langton Green Primary School, we are committed to promoting positive well-being for all members of our school community.

It is widely recognised that a child’s emotional health and well-being influences their cognitive development and learning, as well as their future mental health into adulthood. As a result, it is vital we support children’s emotional well-being and mental health early on. By talking about and embedding an understanding of mental health we are helping to improve well-being and supporting children’s progress. By encouraging children to talk about their feelings, emotions, thoughts and moods, we are equipping them with strategies to support their mental health in the future.

How do we support children’s well-being at Langton Green?

We have a school week-being team that meet regularly to discuss any concerns and plan ways forward to support the child. This might include talk time or drawing and talking sessions which take part in our new well-being yurts. As well as sign posting and support for parents or external referrals.
By raising awareness of mental health and what it means. The whole school recognised World Mental Health Day (10^th October) and raised money for Young Minds.

By rolling out the ‘5 ways to well-being’ across the school.
Well-being assemblies that may focus on one of the aspects of the ‘5 ways to well-being’ or be an opportunity for the class to explore a new well-being technique, for example yoga, breathing exercises or other mindfulness approaches.
By creating an environment and school ethos where children are encouraged to talk about their thought, feelings, moods and emotions. Each class has developed an individual way to encourage children to talk about their feelings and the children know who they can go to for support, this all related to the whole school approach of the Zones of Regulation.
We ran a whole school well-being week on 16th to 20th May. This continued to highlight the importance of our own well-being as well as reinforce strategies that we can use to support this. This year the children had opportunities to be active and participate in yoga and taekwondo sessions. As well as connect with others by visiting different year groups, take notice of nature through walks and gardening. Also engage in meditation and creative, calming activities such as making dream catchers and things from clay.

For more information on how you can support your child’s mental health please see the below links and resources;

24/7 mental health crisis line for children, young people, and families: 0800 9154644

Social Media guidance: https://www.internetmatters.org/inclusive-digital-safety/

Barnardos Help Line: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/see-hear-respond/carer-referral

Kooth: https://www.kooth.com/

Every Mind Matters: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/

Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/c/children-and-young-people

Zones of Regulation

At Langton Green Primary School, we use the Zones of Regulation to support children to build awareness of their feelings/internal state and utilize a variety of tools and strategies for regulation and to promote overall wellness. It categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. We then explore tools and strategies that enable children to move towards increased independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and their unique self.

For more information on how parents can support and reinforce this at home, please access the document below;

Zones of Regulation Guide for Parents

Sandwell Well-being Charter Mark

The Sandwell Well-being Charter Mark is one of the ways in which Langton Green Primary School has committed to improving the mental health and well-being of everyone in the school community. It involves the school working closely with an Educational Psychologist to complete an ongoing process of auditing, action planning and reviewing to promote an effective whole school approach to emotional health and well-being. We were delighted to have been awarded the Charter Mark in July 2022.

Sandwell Charter Mark Summary and Action Plan

How do we support staff’s well-being at Langton Green?

Staff well-being is equally important to us at Langton Green. If we, as adults, do not practise a healthy attitude to our own mental well-being how can we expect children to? Ensuring staff well-being can only have a positive effect on the pupils we teach.

To promote staff well-being at Langton Green we think carefully about how we support teachers in managing their work-life balance. Our marking and feedback policy ensures that marking is manageable for teachers while still supporting children in developing their learning.

We also promote the ‘5 ways to well-being’ for our teachers, incorporating these within our CPD sessions or through our optional sessions run after school e.g. yoga.