Looking After Everyone’s Mental Health

At St Nicholas’ we aim to promote positive mental health for every pupil, parent/carer and member of staff.

We all have mental health, like we all have physical health and like with physical health there will be times in our lives when our mental health needs looking after.

1 in 10 children and young people will experience a mental health problem before the age of 16. That’s three students in an average-sized class. 1 in 4 adults will experience a mental health problem in any year. Even if a young person doesn’t experience mental health problems directly, the statistics above suggest they are likely to know someone who is affected. We must all take our mental health seriously and develop strategies to support ourselves and others when it is less than ideal.

At St Nicholas’ we believe that a child’s emotional health and well-being influences their cognitive development and learning, as well as their physical and social health and their mental well-being in adulthood.

By supporting and teaching skills to pupils and staff to increase their awareness of emotional health and well-being, we are able to provide a safe and open environment for everyone to speak freely about how they are feeling and seek appropriate support. We are lucky enough to have a range of options and staff available to support our children at times when they may be struggling.

All staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of pupils. Staff with a specific, relevant responsibility include:

Designated Safeguarding Officers -Mrs Turner, Mr Dale
Head of Inclusion - Mrs Starmer-Smith
Designated Mental Health Lead – Mrs Turner
Nurture lead – Mrs Gunn
Learning Mentor & Youth Mental Health First Aider – Mrs Gunn, Mrs Smith
ELSA’s – Mrs Gunn, Miss Williams, Miss Frampton

One of the most significant things for parents or young people is that they know they can come to talk to someone if they are worried – whether it is about themselves or someone else. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you feel that you or someone you know would benefit from support.