Pupil health and wellbeing is of paramount importance at Castle Newham. Our aim is to provide a supportive and caring environment with a broad and balanced curriculum, both of which help to build children’s self-confidence, sense of identity, communication skills and resilience – all key elements of good health and wellbeing.

At Castle Newnham there is a range of support in place for those pupils who may be concerned about their own or others’ health and well-being, including mental health. Personal Development education is taught to support our pupils as they move through the school.

Pastoral Care

The pupils’ form teacher is the first port of call for pupils, parents or carers. Talking to this key member of staff can get you the in-school help that is needed.

Our Pupil & Family Support Team is also on hand to talk to individuals and their families in order to provide further support. The team can find help from outside agencies if further support is needed. 

Our school nurse, attends the North site weekly. Pupils have the opportunity to ‘drop in’ to see her to discuss any health and wellbeing concerns. The school nurse also offers one to one support to pupils in need of further help and works closely with our Pupil & Family Support Team.

Working with EqualiTeach 

As a school, we are working with EqualiTeach (www.equaliteach.co.uk) as part of their Equally Safe Programme which has been funded by the Department for Education. The Programme has been designed to support schools to take a whole school approach to preventing and tackling bullying, with a specific focus on identity-based bullying. 

The programme will help us to:

Ensure that our policies and procedures are robust and actively support anti-bullying work 
Have increased understanding of how to promote equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the school curriculum and environment 
Increase confidence amongst staff and pupils in reporting prejudice-related incidents and identity-based bullying 
Increase pupil voice and pupils who are empowered to support their peers and develop their own anti-bullying initiatives 
Reduce incidents of bullying amongst staff and pupils 
Increase compliance with our duties under the Equality Act 2010, Education and Inspections Act 2006, Education Act 2002 and requirements for Ofsted.
 

Dealing with Exam Stress

Young Minds have launched advice for parents about supporting their children.

Tips include:

Encourage your child to take revision breaks and find a balance between studying and doing things they find enjoyable and relaxing.

Make sure they are eating and drinking at regular intervals.

Reassure them – reinforce that you are and will be proud of them no matter what happens.

Remain positive and hopeful!

Let them know their feelings are valid and normal, but also offer support and solutions where possible.

Anxiety is often worse at night and this means it is useful to encourage good bedtime routine

You can find out more here: https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-exam-time/

Revision is a priority for thousands of students. Exam anxiety is reportedly at record levels and to help address this, BBC Bitesize has launched a new website following the results of questioning students as to what resources would help them. The answer was short, shareable videos from young people who had recently taken exams and this has led to the launch of bbc.co.uk/mindset – described as ‘smart advice from exam survivors’.

The science of stress:

https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

The Five Ways to Mental Well-being 

This a is a national initiative aimed at teaching pupils about things they can do to look after their mental health.  More information about the Five Ways to Well-being can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/

This video show the benefits of ‘giving to others’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF7Ou43Vj6c

Dealing with a Bereavement

CHUMS https://childbereavementuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/6a-Guidance-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

Family Lives https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/your-family/family-life/coping-with-bereavement/

Compassionate Friends https://www.tcf.org.uk/

NHS Moodzone https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-bereavement/

Grief Encounter www.griefencounter.org.uk

 

External Organisations and Useful Websites

Bedford Borough Council - Activities for Young People and Health and Wellbeing http://www.bedford.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/sports_development.aspx

ChildLine - Childline is available to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue – no matter how big or small. You can talk about anything and trained counsellors are there to support you. Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night.Call them on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk

Chums - Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Services for Children and Young People http://chums.uk.com/bedfordshire-services/

Bedford Open Door - This is a charity providing FREE and confidential counselling for young people.   Counselling is provided by a team of fully trained, experienced and friendly volunteer counsellors. http://www.bedfordopendoor.org.uk/

Young Minds - Young Minds is leading the fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered, whatever the challenges. Their website aims to get the best possible mental health support for those in need. https://youngminds.org.uk

MindEd - MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults. https://www.minded.org.uk/

Smiling Minds - Smiling Mind offers a unique web and app-based tool developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance into people’s lives. https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app/

Aquarius - Aquarius strives to help people overcome the harms caused by alcohol, drugs and gambling. http://aquarius.org.uk/family-support/

Talk to Frank - This organisation offers friendly and confidential advice on drugs. www.talktofrank.com

Young Carers - Offering local support for young carers. http://www.carersinbeds.org.uk/

Relate - A charity entirely devoted to building stronger relationships and offering support for relationship issues. http://relatebedsandluton.org.uk/

PSHE is taught to support our pupils as they move through the school. We aim to give our pupils the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves safe, healthy and happy as they grow up, and to help them make the right choices, develop confidence and self-esteem; ultimately preparing them for their future life and work in modern Britain.

For further information, please visit our curriculum page

Anyone may find themselves in need of a little extra support from time to time and our Pupil and Family Support Workers are able to provide just that.

The Pupil & Family Support Team can help pupils access the school nurse or other services. They can signpost guidance and advice to families, offer support for young carers, help with self esteem and friendship issues and generally helping with anything which might get in the way of academic success. They also offer support to families who might be experiencing challenges, 1-2-1 and group support and they also work with other professional agencies to ensure the best outcomes for every pupil.