As Pastoral Care Leader at Lightcliffe, my aim is to make sure the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of pupils is cared for. My role is to help remove barriers for our pupils, enabling them to access the best education without being disadvantaged in relation to their peers. I want all children to feel that they belong. I want all children to feel that they are good enough.
The physical and mental wellbeing of children is of great importance. Children should always feel safe, respected and valued.
During my 10 years in education, I have undertaken many training courses and received qualifications in different areas relating to mental health such as self-harm, understanding stress depression and anxiety, trauma informed practice, bullying, bereavement, and challenging behaviour.
I am the Lead Thrive Practitioner at Lightcliffe. I am also our schools Mental Health Co-ordinator as well as being DSL trained.
At Lightcliffe we use the principles of ‘The Thrive approach’ and especially for children that might need a more targeted programme.
THRIVE supports children with their emotional health, wellbeing and social skills, all of which are needed to enable learning to take place. Children cannot always put their needs into words, but the way children behave can tell us a lot about how they are feeling.
The Thrive Approach uses evidence from attachment theory research to highlight the importance of building trusting relationships between adults and children/young people that can evolve as the child develops in a way that supports the child's optimal social and emotional development.
You will often see me in the playground at drop-off and pick-up times, so please come and see me or your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns about your child’s mental health and wellbeing.
