Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Within the code of practice (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25), social, emotional and mental health is defined as follows:
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‘Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivedisorder or attachment disorder.’
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‘Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils.’
The SEN Code of Practice (2015) no longer includes ‘behaviour’ as part of this category of need. The reasoning is that a child’s behaviour is perceived as a communication about the child’s state of mind and may be caused by a variety of factors such as:
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.
All staff at Powick CofE Primary School have had training on a range of mental health and well being difficulties as well as the practice of being a Trauma Informed School.
Class teachers carry out a whole class Motional screening that identifies individuals in need of additional short term intervention. This is used to build a short term intervention program delivered individually or in small groups.
At Powick C of E Primary School we work closely with:
School Nurse
Parents can see them at school via prior arrangement within the school term or within their home. Please contact school if you wish to speak to the school nurse.
Early Help Family Support
If you are experiencing difficulties in your family or are worried about your children, there are people who can offer help and support.
Perryfields Behaviour Support Team
The Perryfields Outreach Team provides preventative behaviour support to school. They deliver tailored programmes of support us to promote positive behaviour management strategies and champion inclusive practice.
The Reach4Wellbeing Team
Part of Starting Well Service which is run by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust. It promotes and supports emotional wellbeing for children and young people aged 5-19 years old. They offer short-term group support programmes for those experiencing emotional difficulties, specifically anxiety, low mood and self-harm.