Wellbeing

“Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

‍(World Health Organization 2014)

‍

At Lightcliffe C of E Primary, we acknowledge how important it is for our pupils and staff to develop and maintain good mental health and wellbeing, as well as physical health.

‍

It is our vision to enable all children to develop to their fullest potential academically, socially, emotionally and for each child to grow in confidence to be able to participate in everything that goes on in the wider community. It is widely recognised that a child’s emotional health and wellbeing influences their cognitive development and learning, as well as their physical and social health and their mental wellbeing in adulthood. At Lightcliffe we know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support.

‍

Our Wellbeing and Mental Health Team:

‍

Mrs K Dunkley

Senior Mental Health Lead, Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

‍

Mrs M McDonald

SENCo and Inclusion Manager

‍

Mrs D Swift

Pastoral Care Lead, Mental Health Support Team school Coordinator, Thrive Practitioner, DSL support

‍

Click below to find out more about Mrs Swift and her role in school.

Mrs Swift

Pastoral Care Leader

Read bio

At Lightcliffe we:

‍

help children to understand their emotions and feelings better.
help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries.
help children socially to form and maintain relationships.
promote self-esteem and ensure children know that they count and have their voice heard.
help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks.
encourage children to be confident and 'value difference’.

‍

We promote a mentally healthy environment through:

‍

promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging.
promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making.
celebrating academic and non-academic achievements
providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others.
providing opportunities to reflect.
access to appropriate support that meets their needs.

‍

The aim of this area of the website is to provide links to good quality information and guidance on mental health and wellbeing. Follow the links below for advice for parents/carers in supporting your children and looking after your own mental wellbeing. We encourage parents and pupils with any concerns to speak to a member of staff.

How do I help my child?

The following guides, by Calderdale Open Minds, offer advice for families facing some possible mental health issues.

‍

Is your child…

feeling stressed, worried or uncertain?

feeling frustrated, cross or angry?

finding the back to school routine difficult?

suffering from low mood?

hurting or harming themselves?

expressing suicidal thoughts?

Calderdale Mental Health Support Team

We are very pleased to announce that we have been accepted onto Calderdale’s Mental Health Support Team (MHST) programme. Our place in the programme started in April 2023.

‍

‍

The three core functions of an MHST:

‍

Delivering low intensity evidence-based interventions (mild to moderate MH problems)
Supporting the Mental health Lead to develop our whole school approach
Giving timely advice to school staff, liaising with external services to get the right support for your children and families so they can stay in education.

For further information about the service, click here to access the MHST guide for parents.

‍

Our Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) is Stephanie Holmes who is trained in a special type of intervention based on evidence of what works best for children and their parents and carers called Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).