Wellbeing
Mental Health & 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, 2015
From the moment pupils arrive here at the beginning of September, we want them to feel welcome, safe and cared for. By feeling settled early on they can begin to grasp all that we have to offer; academically, socially and extra-curricular.
Form tutors are the first point of call for any problems that arise outside the classroom. They support pupils who:
- Need support with: timetables, uniform queries, lunch issues, attendance & punctuality
- Feel upset or struggle emotionally
- Struggle with friendships
- Want to report behaviour and/or safeguarding concerns
In addition, our First Aiders are there to support all pupils who feel unwell and/or take regular medication due to medical condition and we have a school counsellor to support pupils.
Our vision is for all pupils to be able to be self-managers of their own wellbeing, having developed the strategies and tools to be able to look after themselves, whilst also being aware that there are people available to support them should they ever feel like they need some extra help.
At The Eastwood Academy we intend to raise awareness amongst staff, parents and pupils whilst ensuring that staff are adequately prepared to support pupils as needed. We aim to help tackle misconceptions and promote positive mental health amongst staff, pupils and the whole community, whilst ensuring that robust and adequate systems are embedded within our organisation to support and deal with serious issues when they arise.
Raising awareness about mental health amongst our young people will enable them to become resilient and develop their existing aptitudes in ‘believing’ and ‘succeeding’.
In addition to promoting positive mental health, we aim to recognise and respond to mental ill health. Around 1 in 4 people at some stage in their lives will suffer from a mental health issue. Some of the most common ones are depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders and self-harm. Effective implementation of our mental health policy and procedures will help us to ensure that we promote a safe and stable environment for pupils and staff affected both directly and indirectly by mental health issues.
Emotional health and wellbeing promote school success and improvement by:
- contributing positively to priorities such as enhancing teaching and learning, raising standards, promoting social inclusion and improving behaviour and attendance
- involving pupils more fully in the operation of the school
- helping pupils and staff feel happier, more confident and more motivated
Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing for Pupils
The skills, knowledge and understanding needed by our pupils to keep themselves and others physically and mentally healthy and safe are included as part of our personal development curriculum, tutor programme and assemblies as well as cross-curricular links.
We ensure that the content of lessons is determined by the specific needs of the cohort. The structured and tailored teaching of social and emotional life-skills and values throughout school life has the potential to increase emotional wellbeing and academic achievement. The teaching of mental health and emotional wellbeing issues help our pupils gain a sense of belonging and makes them feel safe.
It also provides knowledge and encourages positive attitudes regarding pupils managing their lives in a healthy way. By doing so, it will enable them to develop their confidence, self-esteem and deepen their understanding.