A ‘whole-school’ approach to mental wellbeing

Mental health support teams (MHSTs) in Cheshire and Wirral are part of a new service designed to help meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people in education settings.

With dedicated educational mental health practitioners (EMHPs) based within schools, the teams provide direct support to young people for a range of mild to moderate mental and emotional health difficulties.

But the service isn’t just about providing one-to-one support. A big part of the MHST ethos is about working in partnership with the school to develop a ‘wholeschool’ approach to mental wellbeing. This includes promoting a healthier, happier school community for everyone – from pupils and parents to teachers and other school staff.

CWP MHSTs recently worked with local schools to host a best practice event, showcasing examples of some of the great work being undertaken across the footprint.

For more information about our Mental Health Support Teams in Cheshire and Wirral or to read more best practice case studies, visit the MyMind website: www.mymind.org.uk

Flying Pigs support group

Little Bollington Primary School in Altrincham noticed there were a small group of girls with some with traits of autism, as well as others who were very quiet. The group struggled to communicate their feelings both at home and at school and lacked the confidence to speak up in class.

A support group was established, which focused on mindful activities like colouring and listening to music whilst also giving the children a safe space to explore their feelings and positive experiences both in and out of school.

One of the activities involved asking other children to write something about the girls that attended the group, which was then collated, put into envelopes for each child and given out during the next session. One of the girls who received an envelope said: “It made me think people care about me and like me more than I thought they did. It made me so happy and smiley!” difficult life experiences. The school is in one of the top 10% most deprived areas in the country, with 60% of pupils being known to social care developed a series of assemblies to highlight ‘unseen’ disabilities, including autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

The group members developed strong friendships with each other and felt able to open-up about feelings, worries, fears and home life. The girls are now more confident in speaking up, asking for help and questioning the actions of others, and are even able to support their peers to do the same.

Parklands Primary School

Parklands Primary School in Ellesmere Port is committed to supporting children with mental health difficulties or those who have had difficult life experiences. The school is in one of the top 10% most deprived areas in the country, with 60% of pupils being known to social care at some point in their lives.

Each day starts with a meet and greet and a slice of toast, which is provided in partnership with local shops and Greggs. The school timetable includes range of multi-sensory activities to start the day and throughout the school there are allocated ‘safe spaces’, which have different names including Rainbow Bay. There are also designated spaces for intervention, including de-escalation.

There are visual prompts for emotional literacy and sensory circuits are used throughout the school alongside a fish tank, which is used as a calming tool. The school has applied for grants to help fund these small but impactful initiatives to improve wellbeing across the school community.

As a result, pupils are more able to engage with learning and access any further support they need, such as support from the MHST or art therapy.