__________________ Mental Health and Well-Being

Just as people’s bodies can become unwell, people’s minds can become unwell too.

At Riverside Bridge School, we recognise that emotional health and mental well-being is everyone’s responsibility within the school and is therefore embedded within the culture and ethos of the whole school. A wealth of strategies and interventions are available to enhance the social, emotional, and mental well–being of all pupils, parents/carers and staff.

Riverside Bridge School is working towards achieving the Well-Being Award for Schools. 

Provided by Optimus Education, the Well-being Award for Schools recognises the work that schools do in supporting the well-being of the school community and in promoting the understanding about mental health issues to reduce the stigma surrounding them in wider society.

The award, developed in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), focuses on ensuring that effective practices and provisions are in place to support and promote emotional well-being and mental health. The aim is to change the long-term culture of schools, embedding an ethos where mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all.

In gaining this award, Riverside Bridge School will be able to demonstrate its commitment to:

• promoting mental health as part of school life;

• improving the emotional well-being of their staff, pupils and parents/carers;

• ensuring mental health problems are identified early and appropriate support provided;

• offering provision and interventions that matches the needs of its pupils, parents/carers and staff;

• engaging the whole-school community in the importance of mental health awareness;

• capturing the views of pupil, parents/carers and staff on mental health issues.

There are four key principles driving the ideas and recommendations behind this award.

• Emotional well-being and mental health are a continuum. Related issues can range from positive attitudes and behaviour, through to experiences of emotional distress and mental disorder.

• Schools already experience and manage emotional issues on a daily basis; the objective is to minimise the impact of such issues and maximise the effectiveness of any responses.

• Emotional well-being covers a range of dimensions, such as resilience, character building, relationships and self-esteem, etc. Understanding both developmental and mental health awareness is critical.

• Creating a positive school culture requires a whole-school approach that is led from the top while involving all in the school community.

The WAS has eight objectives which focus on the areas of evaluation, development of the work of schools in promoting and protecting emotional wellbeing and positive mental health. Each of these areas is further broken down into Key Performance Indicators.

• The school is committed to promoting and protecting emotional wellbeing and mental health by achieving the Wellbeing Award For Schools.

• The school has a clear vision and strategy for promoting and protecting emotional wellbeing mental health, which is communicated to all involved.

• The school has a positive culture which regards the emotional wellbeing and mental health as the responsibility of all.

• The school actively promotes staff emotional well being and mental health

• The school prioritises professional learning and staff development on emotional wellbeing and mental health.

• The school understands the different types of emotional and mental health needs across the whole-school community and has systems in place to respond appropriately.

• The school actively seeks the ongoing participation of the whole-school community in its approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health.

• The school works in partnerships with other schools, agencies and available specialist services to support emotional wellbeing and mental health.