At Avenue Junior School we are committed to supporting children's wellbeing and positive mental health. We understand that in order to learn effectively children need to feel safe and happy at school. We also understand that people aren't happy all the time, so we work to teach children about different emotions through our PATHS programme and the Zones of Regulation, acknowledging and accepting these and then giving them the tools to 'get back to green' so that they are ready to learn.
We have experienced pastoral, wellbeing and inclusion teams at school who provide support to teachers so that our learning environment encourages wellbeing and positive mental health. These teams also work with children, individually or in groups, should they experience difficulty with their emotional wellbeing. Our Parent Support Advisor, Lauren Gislam, is able to work directly with families whose collective wellbeing may be suffering and is able to provide support, information and advice.
Covid-19
We know that the last year has been incredibly difficult for our community for lots of reasons. Everyone will have had a different response to the unprecedented changes to society that have taken place so rapidly and, for many, these changes will have had a negative impact on their mental health.
Now more than ever it is important that we take time to understand how we are feeling and take steps to improve our wellbeing as much as possible.
With lots of people having to stay at home, we have put together a selection of resources for children and families to support mental health and wellbeing. We will be adding to this selection over time so that families have a comprehensive library of wellbeing support.
If you feel that something more substantial might be necessary for your family, please contact the school and we will endeavour to provide some additional help.