Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

‘A state of mind in which an individual is able to realise 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.’

(The World Health Organisation 2010) 

‘Wellbeing starts with people; our connections with family, friends and colleagues; the behaviour, care and compassion we show one another; the environment we create to live together.’ 

(Leeds City Council) 

Author: Lauren Whyte – (DSL and SML) 

Date Policy updated: September 2022 

Date of Review: September 2023 

Date policy Ratified by Governors : 28/09/2022 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Contents 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Safeguarding Statement 

The Co-op Academy Leeds is committed to safeguarding every student. We acknowledge that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and ensure all of our staff are trained to be vigilant and aware of the signs and indicators of abuse and understand and follow safe working practices. 

The viewpoints and voice of students is of paramount importance to our academy and we will always listen to their wishes, thoughts and feelings, as well as identifying and supporting their needs. We will work alongside students to develop trusting, consistent and professional relationships, and show we care by advocating the early help processes where possible. 

We will identify any difficulties or concerns early in order to act preventatively. We will always provide support and advice for families and parents/carers, whilst acting in the best interests of the student at all times and doing what matters most. Safeguarding also includes ensuring we work in an open and honest way, enabling our children to feel safe by providing a secure learning environment, are equally protected regardless of any barriers they may face and are able to grow and develop in the same way as their peers. 

Co-op Academy Leeds safeguards students by: 

· Maintaining a secure site and ensuring that all visitors to the academy are recorded, monitored and clear about how to raise a safeguarding concern should one arise. 

· Ensuring that safer recruitment practices are followed to prevent those who pose a risk to children gaining access to our students. 

· Filtering and monitoring all internet traffic into the academy to ensure that children cannot be exposed to harmful material and/or communication. · Ensuring that all staff employed by the academy have received all necessary pre-employment checks which are recorded in the single central record (SCR) · Providing regular child protection training and briefings for all staff and volunteers, and ensuring that all staff, volunteers and visitors know who our designated safeguarding officers and designated senior lead are. · Ensuring that admission and attendance procedures are robust to protect children, ensure that they are safe and prevent children from going missing from education. 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

· Empowering young people to identify risks both within the academy and in their community; ensuring that they have the skills and confidence to help and protect themselves and others. 

· Making sure that all children understand the importance of reporting concerns about themselves and their peers and giving them the confidence to discuss sensitive issues. 

· Providing pastoral and inclusion support to ensure that all children have access to guidance and advice, and when needed referrals for additional agency support to meet their needs. 

· Sharing information when appropriate with other agencies and services to ensure that children and their families have support to meet their needs and prevent students from harm or further harm. 

· Taking immediate action and contacting the appropriate agencies when we believe that a child is in danger or is at risk of harm. 

Background 

Our Health and Wellbeing Policy is about how we put in place the best conditions at Coop Academy Leeds for students, staff, governors and parents to live fulfilling lives. We aim to be a healthy academy with high quality services and support. 

This strategy is our blueprint for how we will achieve that. It is led by all stakeholders and it belongs to everyone at Coop Academy Leeds. 

There are government expectations that schools should support pupils to be resilient and mentally healthy. They should provide a safe environment that fosters trust and belonging and create a culture that supports mental health. 

In relation to children and young people, safeguarding and promoting their welfare is defined in ‘Working together to safeguard children’ as: 

● protecting children from maltreatment

● preventing impairment of children’s mental health, health or development ● ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

● taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes 

It is estimated that 1 in 4 children and young people will be affected by a mental health problem each year with 1 in 10 children in the UK aged between 5 years and 16 years have a diagnosable mental health condition. 

Children with learning disabilities are over 6 times more likely to have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder than their peers who do not have learning disabilities (BOND 2014). 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Public Health England in March 2015 commented on the influence that a child’s emotional health & wellbeing has on their cognitive development & learning, as well as their physical and social health and their mental wellbeing in adulthood. 

A whole school emotional wellbeing approach that moves beyond learning & teaching to cover all aspects of school life has been found to be effective in bringing about sustained health benefits. 

Aims 

● To develop a whole school approach for staff, students, parents and visitors. ● To make wellbeing a key feature of the culture at Coop Academy Leeds. ● To create an approach is based on the 6 main principles taken from the 

‘Mental Health Standards’ (2014) and 8 key outcomes identified in ‘Promoting Children & Young People Emotional Health & Wellbeing’ (2015). ● To work restoratively together with students and families. 

● To provide a holistic & multi-agency approach. 

● To support a robust curriculum that supports good mental health and emotional wellbeing. 

Our Co-op Values 

Self-help: We do not expect to be spoon fed – we will do things for ourselves in the right way and at the right time.

Self-responsibility: Everyone will act in a responsible way around the academy site and in the local community. We take responsibility for our own learning; we are independent learners.

Equality: We are proud to be part of a very multicultural academy, with students from all over the world. It is important that we treat each other with respect and accept that others may be different from ourselves. We should all have equal chances to succeed.

Equity: We want to look for the best in each other. Rewarding others fairly to encourage all types of achievement.

Democracy: We will contribute our ideas to make the academy a success.

Solidarity: We can achieve more by working together, rather than as individuals. These are the values of co-operatives all over the world; whatever we do, they are the way that we do it.

Ways of Being Co-op 

As a part of a Co-op Academy, we all feel responsible, valued, empowered and trusted to do the right thing for each other.

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

The four Ways of Being guide our future.

The Coop Academy Leeds Emotional Health & Wellbeing Principles The seven identified Emotional Health and Wellbeing principles will underpin the approaches used to support the development and integration of wellbeing strategies within the school. School policy and curriculum delivery will be tailored to promote the key aspects of improving wellbeing. It will focus on creating a physically, emotionally and socially rich environment where key relationships can thrive and pupils can feel secure in their learning. 

School based programmes which are linked to the curriculum will promote pupil voice through developing independence and choice making. 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Staff will have access to training sessions and signposting to approaches and resources that will support their own emotional health and wellbeing with an aim to foster teamwork and create solidarity. 

Clear identification, impact and outcomes measures will feed into the school based programmes and the targeted interventions that will be offered to pupils. 

We follow Curriculum from the PSHCE Association and Leeds Health Schools and Wellbeing Team. 

Pupil Identification 

Pupils with mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties are identified by all staff in school and concerns raised in writing on cpoms or using a paper based cause of concern. 

From there a designated officer will speak to the child and careers about what support needs to be put in place. This could include accessing the School counsellor or referrals to other local services provided by the Inner East Cluster. 

Pupil Wellbeing Interventions 

Approach Intervention

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Targeted Pupil Wellbeing Interventions 

Robust PSHCE curriculum that teaches young people to recognise and understand their emotions developed and designed from the PSHCE Association and Leeds Healthy Schools and Wellbeing Services. 

Identified pupils will receive bespoke intervention packages delivered by a trained school counsellor, mental health first aiders and designated officers for safeguarding and their year managers. 

Signposting and support to outside service for children and young people in crisis including Inner East Cluster, CAMHS. MINDMATE, children’s social work service and their GP. 

The development of resilience through providing a secure environment and relationships, enhancing self-esteem and self-responsibility to underpin and influence all interventions. 

Special Educational Needs support through the SENCO and in the Student Support Centre: a safe space. 

A whole school culture of discussions in regards to behaviours and emotions that highlight any gaps that may affect a pupil’s optimum emotional health. 

Targets and strategies will be set to address these needs and teach new skills. 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Individual targets will aim to address these gaps and will focus on developing a skill set to support three key areas; growing and developing; future planning plus strategies to meet pupil needs. 

Each set of interventions will be bespoke and provide a meaningful approach for each individual and their needs. 

The interventions will be based on therapy, meditation, mindfulness principles; sensory processing activities; positive thinking techniques and physical exercise. 

School Counsellor 

Sara Harrison is our school counsellor. She works in a trauma informed, person centred approach. Students will be offered 1-2-1 person centred sessions, small targeted group work, crisis counselling and a focused drop-in service. Sara will refer parents and carers to external organisations for support as appropriate. As part of her assessments of young people she may refer children to outside agencies. Sara is available for advice and support and signposting for staff, students, parents and visitors. 

Sara will advocate for young people in professionals’ meetings. 

Staff Identification 

● Place to Be ‘wellbeing in schools’ Training Whole Staff 

● National Online Safety - Certificate in mental health Training for all staff ● Staff signposting to support services including BUPA. 

● HR support for staff experiencing concerns including Bupa services ● Information on the website for all stakeholders through Emergency Services ● Staff wellbeing questionnaires will be sent out annually and the analysis of 

this will help to improve and inform whole school wellbeing approaches. ● Mental health committee (meets 3 times a year) 

Staff Wellbeing Interventions 

Action for Happiness ● Information

Whole

School

Approach

Work life Support – Bupa/ HR

Library of resources – Staff Room

Staff Benefits (Coop)

Staff Offers

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sharing

● Posters/ leaflets ● Signposting

● Wellbeing Survey ● Student Shout Outs

● Surveys

● Acts of kindness ● Staff wellbeing on the Weekly

Bulletin

Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

Wellbeing twilights ● Bupa Health Support

Whole School offer

Fitness sessions

Social activities

After School Provision Treat sessions – 3x yearly Mindfulness/CBT sessions

● Wellbeing

champions to

organise events ● Information sharing

● Wellbeing

Working Group ● Staff Reps

Monitoring and Assessment 

● Pupil Premium data outcomes will be monitored mid-year and end of the year. Any recommendation for wellbeing interventions will take place at the same time. 

● Information in relation to children’s mental health and wellbeing will be stored on Cpoms. 

● Information held by the School Counsellor will be stored confidentiality on Bacpac. 

● Assessment of attainment, behaviour, attendance & engagement data. ● Staff questionnaires and surveys provide an opportunity throughout the year to enable whole school wellbeing assessments to take place to improve practice and monitor outcomes. 

Links with Other Policies/ Documentation 

● Coop Academy Leeds Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy

● Coop Academy Leeds Children Looked After Policy 

● Coop Academy Leeds SEND Policy 

● Coop Academy Leeds Behaviours, Rewards and Sanctions Policy including Anti-Bullying Policy 

● Coop Academy Leeds Relationship and Sex Education Policy ● Coop Academy Leeds LGBTQ+ Policy 

References 

● BOND (2014) ‘Children and Young People with Disabilities – Understanding their Mental Health’ 

● Department of Health & Public Health England ‘Promoting emotional wellbeing and positive mental health of children and young people’ – March 2014 

● DFE ‘Mental health and behaviour in schools’ – March 2016 

● Public Health England (2014) ‘The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment’ 

● Public Health England (2015) ‘Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing’ 

● Scottish Government (2012) ‘A guide to Getting it Right for Every Child’ ● Unicef (2002) ‘For Every Child’ 

● Using Mental Health Standards (2014) 

● World Health Organisation (2010) ‘Mental Health: strengthening our responses’ 

● Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 

● Working Together to Safeguard Children 2019. 

● Leeds Healthy Schools and Wellbeing Team 

● Counselling in school. DFE, 2016 

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Co-op Academy Leeds Emotional Health and Wellbeing Policy