Children's Mental Health

At Reydon Primary School we ensure children learn about their mental health, what this is, means, how and where to get help. But also, how to help themselves. This is even more important after the last year and a half, as our children and ourselves, have had a big change in the way we live our everyday lives due to COVID. The impact of this may affect us all for several years and here at Reydon, we want to ensure our children and families have the best knowledge and tools to help them achieve and maintain good mental health and know how and where they can get help if they need it. This will allow our children to fully thrive and achieve their ambitions. We have relaunched our CHIMP program; Children’s Health is Mental and Physical. With a focus each half term, this will allow children to develop their understanding and knowledge of mental health and learn about a range aspects that negatively impact on this. Children will also learn skills to support their mental health and where they can get information if they are struggling.

We worked together with our ALT North Suffolk family of schools, (Red Oak Primary School ,Westwood Primary, Albert Pye Primary, Ravensmere Infants, Grove Primary and Pakefield Primary School), and children from the school councils helped to devise the CHIMP program which helps to create a positive lifestyle approach that supports our mental health and well being.

We decided what was of most importance and these are the key areas that we believe are key to supporting good mental health and well being:

Emotions
Sleep
Physical activity
Eat and drink healthily
Screen time
Talk time and positive interactions
Managing positive friendships
Hobbies

As a school we will be working on these over the year through circle time, assemblies and within our daily curriculum offer. Throughout the year we will also have awareness days or weeks where more focus will be placed on mental health. #HelloYellow was a big success and children enjoyed a range of activities focusing on what mental health is and our emotions.

The Mental Health Lead for curriculum and learning is – Ali Hurren

We have two qualified children's Mental Health First Aiders, these are: