Wellbeing

Welcome to our Wellbeing Page   

Wellbeing underpins our ethos here at Chiddingstone School and enables an inclusive approach to all pupils. We actively encourage our children to identify and talk about their feelings and children know where they can go for support.

Wellbeing forms a part of our Inclusion at Chiddingstone School and is overseen by Mrs Durrant our Inclusion Leader and Senior Mental Health Lead, who works closely with Mrs McCarthy, our designated Wellbeing Mentor. 

Emotional Support

Our designated Wellbeing Mentor works closely with the Senior Leadership Team and class teachers to identify children who may require additional support with reasons ranging from anxiety and low self-esteem through to parental loss and separation.  Mentoring sessions provide opportunities for children to explore their feelings through conversation, activities and play. Impact is evidenced by the child's ability to engage positively in all areas of school life.

Wellbeing and Resilience 

We are delighted to share with you the fact that, in November 2022, we were awarded the Kent School's Award for Resilience and Emotional Wellbeing. The award recognizes the continued provision we have in place for the wellbeing of our pupils, as well as the resilience which we foster. 

Wellbeing Act of Worship

These take place each term and are delivered by Mrs Durrant and Mrs McCarthy. Recent topics include Difference and Diversity, Kindness, Worries and Understanding Autism. Each Act of Worship is followed by classroom learning to embed the children's understanding. Our wellbeing Act of Worship for term 2 was delivered by the Captain Wonderweb and the Esteem Machine theatre company. The interactive performance encouraged children to develop a positive mindset whilst becoming resilient, empathetic and kind learners.

Nurture Clubs

Within our school we have two fully qualified Nurture UK members of staff. Nurture Clubs are provided in a number of ways throughout our school week. Whether held at lunchtimes or after school, the sessions focus on building confidence and resilience through a range of activities. 

ELSA 

We are delighted to share with your the fact that we now have an ELSA practitioner within our team. Mrs Miles has recently completed her ELSA qualification. Emotional Literacy Support Assistants complete a quality marked course and receive continual mentoring from a team of Educational Psychologists to ensure a robust and consistent level of support for our students. 

Transition to Secondary

Transition to Secondary school groups take place in the final term for all Year 6 children to support them with moving on. Sessions are interactive and children are invited to discuss topics ranging from Internet safety, Getting Organised, Drugs awareness and we explore "What If Scenarios."  These sessions are designed to engage and inform children through a positive approach about moving on to their secondary schools. Some examples of activities include a trip to the Sutton Life Centre and a visit from Kooth Wellbeing.

Mindfulness within the classroom

Put simply, mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present: aware of what we are doing, as opposed to worrying about what might happen in the future or ruminating about what has already happened.

To continue to support our children’s mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and also to enable them to build positive and robust approaches to their learning, we work closely with a trained wellbeing mentor. We plan  to extend our engagement with mindfulness approaches across the school in the coming year.

Anxiety or Emotionally Based School Avoidance 

In our most recent parent workshop, we shared information on the push and pull of factors which may create anxiety around school attendance. Please do take a look through our below information and contact us for further help. 

Wellbeing Workshops

Our second Wellbeing Event was held on 22nd March. Focusing on ways to support our children to both manage anxiety and to build resilience, many tips and resources were shared. In addition, parents were shown some of the many pathways available for support. Please look through the below links for further information. 

If you have a concern about your child’s wellbeing or current support, please contact your child’s class teacher , in the first instance, or our Inclusion Leader Nicki Durrant.

Nicki Durrant (Inclusion Leader)
inclusion@chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk
Tel: 01892 870339 

Resources to help you and your child 

Kent Resilience Hub offers a huge range of practical resources and online webinars to support parents and children in the home. 

https://kentresiliencehub.org.uk/parent-carers/resources/ 

The Anna Freud Centre offers a range of tips, resources and training as well as a local service directory. 

https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/ 

Childline supports children's resilience and emotional wellbeing and offers lots of tips for parents. 

https://www.childline.org.uk/toolbox/calm-zone