Intent Statement for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

Moral Purpose

Brooklands SEMH Team is passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people. We believe in teamwork; working with each other, with teachers and colleagues across the school, with the wider school community and, most importantly, with the young people in our school. We act with determination. Whatever issues our children, their families, the school, our team or the community face, we always support, react and pull together. Finally, we are committed to making a difference; we are not passive players in young people’s lives but active participants who can and do make a real difference. These reflect the school’s curriculum intent statement and core values, in particular ‘Be Kind’, ‘Be Safe’ and ‘Be Proud’. 

Our moral purpose can therefore be summarised below - 

• Kindness.
• Teamwork. 
• Determination.
• Commitment.

Mental Health Definition

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

World Health Organisation, 2018

What supporting Positive Mental Health means to us:

• The child stays at the centre of every conversation.
• We prioritise those who need our help most, but we promote positive mental health with everyone.
• We embedded social, emotional and mental health awareness across the curriculum
• Children and young people are taught skills to build resilience and manage everyday stressors
• Staff wellbeing, resilience and mental health is a key focus 
• We have a highly trained team who lead on evidence-based practice for all our interventions.

How we ensure best practice:

• Record keeping is a priority.
• Staff read and understand section one of Keeping Young people Safe in Education.
• Staff know our behaviour, SEMH, attendance and safeguarding policies and protocols.
• The wider school community has an active voice about SEMH.
• We monitor SEMH interventions and adjust were necessary
• All staff have training and the option of supervision to effectively support children’s SEMH
• Speaking to each other with courtesy, respect and empathy is essential.
• Early identification key

Our Mental Health First Aider

Our school MHFA is Mrs Hibbert

Emotional Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation lessons provide a child friendly approach to thinking and talking about our feelings on the inside and how they impact on our behaviour on the outside. Pupils at Willington are taught to think about emotions in four different coloured zones. A common language has been developed across the school so that children and adults can use this when supporting children with emotional regulation throughout school life. Every classroom features a 'Regulation Station', providing resources to support pupils with self regulation. The Sensory Wall in school is also used to support regulation for some of our children. 

Learners benefit from:

• Increased self-awareness and social and emotional skills
• A common language for communication, problem solving, and emotional understanding
• More time spent on learning instead of on behavior management
• A healthier, more inclusive school climate