At St Richard Reynolds we are committed to supporting our pupils’ wellbeing to enable them to achieve their personal best, be happy and become the person God intended them to be. We have a strong pastoral system with a very clear focus on pupils’ emotional wellbeing, safety and happiness. This is reflected in our motto – ‘Healthy mind, Healthy Body’ encouraging pupils to focus on regular exercise, building positive relationships and communicating their feelings and emotions. As a school we believe in working together with families to support children’s emotional wellbeing and providing interventions and resources to promote positive mental health.
We are proud to have received our ‘Attachment Aware Schools Award’ in July 2022. This year-long study involved training on attachment, trauma and emotion coaching, support from Educational Psychologists and completion of a whole school project to create a therapeutic space in the Primary School to help children regulate their emotions in conjunction with the introduction of Zones of regulation across the school.
We have a dedicated team of staff whose role it is to promote, monitor and support the wellbeing of all:
| Wellbeing Team | |
|---|---|
| Mrs D. Forsdick | Deputy Head – Inclusion, Behaviour and Welfare, SENDCo |
| Mrs J Santos | Associate Assistant Principal for Personal Development and Primary PE Teacher |
| Miss C Arnold | PSHE/RSE Subject Leader |
| Mrs J De Jager (maternity) | College SEMH Lead |
| Mrs R Walker | College Chaplain |
| Mrs Prescott-Brann | ELSA Teacher |
| Mrs B Phelan | Draw and Talk Therapy Lead |
In our curriculum, emotional wellbeing is embedded through:
- PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
- RSE (Relationships and Sex Education)
- Our Behaviour Framework – a focus on Catholic Social Teaching Principles linked to our values
- Computing: E-Safety Curriculum
- Science: Healthy lifestyle – eating and exercise
- PE: enrichment weeks
- Assemblies
- Wellbeing weeks and enrichment days e.g ‘Healthy Mind, Healthy Body’ week
- Spiritual retreats developed by our Chaplaincy team
Alongside the curriculum, we run a variety of additional programmes to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. These include: The Zones of Regulation Programme, Emotional Literacy Support interventions, Social thinking groups, Draw and Talk therapy and nurture groups. All classrooms have worry boxes and we encourage pupils to discuss their feelings and emotions. Our Year 6 pupils take on Ambassador responsibilities and mentor younger pupils through Play leader roles. We recognise that transitions can be a difficult time for many children, and with that in mind, we have a focus on children moving from Pre-school settings into Reception class, and a transition programme for the Year 6 children moving onto Secondary School.
Support for Families
The links below provide further information to support families.
In the Parent Support area there are a number of workshop videos on key issues e.g. anxiety in children, bereavement, supporting sleep and transitions.
The School Nurse linked to St Richard Reynolds Catholic College from Richmond School Nursing Service is called Charlie Pratten. The school nursing service can support children, young people and families with advice on a number of health needs including bedwetting, healthy eating, sleep and emotional wellbeing. Please contact Mrs Forsdick for referrals to the service.
Website links:
- YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds
- Mental health support for parents and carers – Place2Be
- https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/
- Parents and Careers | Advice and Guidance | Anna Freud Centre
- Calm zone | Childline
- AfC Info website – Kingston and Richmond :: Community Information / Community Information and Advice / Emotional Health Service / iThrive
- Resources (beaconhouse.org.uk)
- Children – The Sleep Charity