Mental Health and Well-Being of the School Community

Mental Health First Aiders in School

At Pond Meadow we believe that mental health and well-being is the basis for a happy and successful life at school and beyond. We are proud to be a part of a community of staff trained to support mental health and well-being and identify appropriate support.

The Well-being of all plays a key role in our school vision and values, and shapes our policies and procedures implicitly and explicitly. We strive to improve the well-being of our students and staff in everything we do, seeking to build resilience, identify and monitor concerns, and support students and families who face challenges.

A brand new website: Mindworks Surrey has been launched providing children, young people, families and carers with information, advice and resources on mental health and emotional wellbeing services. It is a source of essential information, including how to ask for help in a crisis via the 24/7 Crisis Line. It features a dedicated area for professionals including schools and GPs. Please share during your meetings and appointments with children, young people, and families.

https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/

We acknowledge that our staff teams work in an environment that requires high levels of emotional involvement. This can impact the ability of staff to manage their own stress levels and prioritise their own well-being. We hope that by offering a support network within our school we are able to best promote well-being and emotional health.

A mentally healthy community of staff is a productive and creative community of staff who can support the education of our pupil in the best way. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) contributes towards:

Raising awareness
Promoting mental health and well-being
Promoting support and recovery
Promoting social inclusion
Reducing the period of untreated mental ill health through early support

We have 8 trained MHFAs at Pond Meadow (a mix of school leaders, teachers and teaching assistants) in school and continue to assess the impact of their work in consultation with staff and the best ways that they can offer the right support to individuals at the right time: