Pastoral Support and Wellbeing
Emotional Health and Well Being
Rebecca Harry : Learning Mentor (Emotional Health and Well-being support)
What are we doing at Shirland Primary School?
Emotional health and well-being has a direct effect upon a child's behaviour; their ability to concentrate on their learning and maintain healthy relationships with adults and peers. Whilst there are many factors that can impact upon a child's mental health, the pandemic created many more which resulted in a need for a ‘full-time’ post to support the emotional health and well-being of our children. Therefore, Mrs Harry was appointed in September 2020 and has become an important member of the team, both with the children and their families.
Mrs Harry’s role is to support families and children in all aspects of school and family life from bereavement to behavioural issues; signposting to outside agencies and to keep a nurturing eye on those children who are finding times tough. She organises one-to-one and group activities within school to address issues such as promoting self-esteem, confidence, friendships, alleviating anxieties, anger management and opportunities to just be able to talk quietly to someone. Her role also extends to family support and working alongside other agencies, such as the school nursing team and attendance officers.
In recent times, Mrs Harry has organised the school Therapy Dog and the fundraising for this. She has also recently secured a grant of £1200 to be spent on staff training and resources for the emotional health of our children.
So, although it may not be obvious, a huge range of strategies are in place and can be accessed by children and their family as and when they may need it.
Mrs Harry can be contacted via the main school office should you or your child require support.