Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Oakleaf Primary School, we are committed to supporting the positive mental health and well-being of our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers).

We recognise that our mental health and emotional well-being is just as important to our lives as our physical health. We know that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall well-being and can affect their learning and achievement. At Oakleaf we are committed to removing barriers to learning and work hard to equip children with strategies to manage in times of change, difficulty and stress. We will continue to address and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health difficulties and empower children, staff and parents to reach out and access help when they need it most. We continue to promote positive mental health and well-being as an integral part of everything we do. We are all too aware of the devastating impact the Covid-19 Pandemic has had on the mental health and well-being of many – we are ensuring extra attention is put into identifying and supporting well-being during this incredibly difficult time.

We have the Acorn room and the Nest to provide safe and welcoming spaces for interventions and therapy. Sensory equipment and spaces are available as are spaces inside and outside classrooms to create calm areas for children to support their self-regulation.

Jigsaw PSHE curriculum

Jigsaw offers a comprehensive Programme for Primary PSHE including statutory Relationships and Health Education, in a spiral, progressive and fully planned scheme of work, giving children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others. With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, Jigsaw equips schools to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Jigsaw lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.

The Zones of Regulation®

The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. Using a cognitive behaviour approach, the curriculum's learning activities are designed to help students recognise when they are in different states called "zones," with each of four zones represented by a different colour. In the activities, students also learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a zone or move from one to another. Students explore calming techniques, cognitive strategies, and sensory supports so they will have a toolbox of methods to use to move between zones. To deepen students' understanding of how to self-regulate, the lessons set out to teach students these skills: how to read others' facial expressions and recognise a broader range of emotions, perspective about how others see and react to their behaviour, insight into events that trigger their less regulated states, and when and how to use tools and problem solving skills.

Commando Joe’s   

A Character Building Curriculum which develops the seven RESPECT character traits: respect, empathy, self-awareness, positivity, excellence, communication, and teamwork.

It provides opportunities and encourages pupils to develop a wider set of skills and qualities such as resilience, leadership, communication, empathy and perseverance which, far from being a distraction from achievement, are vital for each pupil’s successful learning.

The programme contributes to cultural, physical, spiritual, moral and social wellbeing and plays a part in extending each child’s understanding of British values.

Pastoral Support

Our pastoral support team, consisting of a pastoral support learning mentor and support assistant provide additional support to both groups and individual children in the classroom and through a series of interventions and therapies including:

· Self Esteem

· Communication Skills

· Social Skills

· Zones of Regulation

· Protective Behaviours - Protective Behaviours is a practical down to earth approach to personal safety. It is a process that encourages self-empowerment and brings with it the skills to raise self-esteem and to help avoid being victimised. This is achieved by helping individuals to recognise and trust their intuitive feelings (Early Warning Signs) and to develop strategies for self-protection. The Protective Behaviours process encourages an adventurous approach to life that satisfies the need for fun and excitement without violence and fear.

· Drawing and Talking Therapy - Utilising drawing as a way to help children express their feelings differently in ordinary verbal language. The Drawing and Talking therapeutic approach allows individuals to discover and communicate emotions through a non-directed technique.

Gade Schools Family Support Service

We work in close partnership with Gade Schools Family Support Service. Their Schools Partnership support programme is now an integral part of our school which allows us to refer children and families to access to a wide range of support for our children and their families.