Children
Wellbeing & Growth Mindset
What does Mental Health and Wellbeing look like at Stamfordham?
At Stamfordham we support the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We have a whole school supportive and caring ethos model of respect and kindness, where each individual is valued. Our vision is to provide a school community where children can enjoy a welcoming, secure, happy and healthy environment, where all members can feel respected, develop their self-confidence and understanding of others.
At our school we know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.
We take a whole school scaffolded approach, modelling skills throughout the structure of the school values, curriculum and policies to ensure children are mentally well and healthy. Mental health & well-being is the fundamental part of Stamfordham Primary school.
How do we promote positive MHWB at Stamfordham? 
- Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
- Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
- Celebrating academic and non-academic achievements
- Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
- Promoting equality- reducing stigma of Mental Health through our PHSCE/RSE curriculum
- All children have opportunities and access to an environment that supports them.
- Creating an emotionally secure environment
- Ensuring there are warm and emotionally available adults everyday to create relationships with children based on trust and care.
- Providing a bank of 'Friends Resilience' skills and strategies for children to use for their own MHWB
- Providing quieter areas within school for children to take time and support wellbeing 'Wellbeing Nook'.
- Providing opportunities to reflect
- Wellbeing Groups
- Library open each week to borrow books to read
- Themed & Charity Days
- Community summer and Christmas Fairs
- Residential visits & Educational day visits
- Enriching after school clubs
- Sporting opportunities
Key values of growth mindset at Stamfordham Primary School:
R- Resilient, promoting mistake making to help us learn
A- Ambitious, challenging ourselves to be the best they can be
N- Nurturing, supporting those around us and ourselves through strategies that work for us.
Take a look around
Celebrating success! 
- Website/school Facebook page to celebrate what is taking place.
- Displaying pupil’s work
- Achievement Award Assembly each week with Jellybean and Kindness Certificates
- Sports personality of the week
- Half term Simon Richards Award
- Friends Resilience Interactive Displays
- Dojo points
- Weekly school newsletter to celebrate what has taken place
Resilient 'Learning Pit'
Wellbeing Group
'Wellbeing in wellies' with Mrs Forsyth
Our wellbeing group offer opportunities for children to come along and spend some quiet time planting in the garden and taking care of the school grounds to promote wellbeing around the school 
Friends Resilience
FRIENDS is resilience intervention programme proven to reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health for children and young people.
School staff are trained in Friends Resilience and are now a Licensed Partner; we rolled out delivery of the Programme after the return from the first lockdown in 2020 and we continue to see superb results!
FRIENDS is a fundamental part of our school values and ethos, PHSCE curriculum and behaviour policy.
What does “FRIENDS” stand for?
FRIENDS is an acronym that helps children remember the strategies taught that can be used to effectively manage anxiety:
F = FEELINGS (empathy and self-regulation)
R = REMEMBER TO RELAX (relaxation & mindfulness strategies)
I = I CAN DO IT! I CAN TRY MY BEST! (changing red thoughts into green thoughts)
E = EXPLORE SOLUTIONS & CREATE COPING STEP PLANS (choosing thumbs up actions)
N = NOW REWARD YOURSELF! You did your best! (choosing interpersonal rewards)
D = DON'T FORGET TO PRACTISE (choose to use the FRIENDS skills & help others)
S = SMILE, STAY CALM AND SUPPORT (values based role models and support networks)
Specific skills that are taught are based on the following principles:
- Our body is our FRIEND, and tells us when we are feeling worried by giving us clues so that we can choose to think helpful thoughts and practise thumbs up choices.
- We are FRIENDS to ourselves when we choose positive, helpful thoughts and thumbs up actions such as relaxation and mindfulness strategies
- It is important to learn to be our own FRIEND and reward ourselves when we try our best.
- It is important to think of our FRIENDS and values based role models/support networks when we are making choices about our thumbs up actions
Children’s Mental Health Week 2023
Being Connected
Stamfordham took part in Children’s Mental Health Week, this year’s theme is Being Connected and we explored the different ways that we can feel connected to our own bodies and feelings, and help others to do so too. Children explored the different ways we can express ourselves, and the creative ways that we can share our feelings, our thoughts and our ideas to help us grow.
Coping strategies we use in school
Time to Talk Sessions:
Please call or email the office to find out our next 'Time to talk' date for parents and carers. Individual sessions will be 10 minutes long and can be made anytime between 4.30pm-5.30pm. Please email the office with your preferred time and the office will get back to you to confirm your time.
After every storm.. comes a rainbow!
Try some of our home activities
Need further support?
Our children's welfare is extremely important to us at Stamfordham Primary so we are working in collaboration with experts, trainers and counsellors at BeYou, a North East organisation which specialises in supporting and counselling both children and adults. They also help children with coping methods surrounding healthy relationships, puberty, sexual education, anxiety, emotional well-being, self-esteem and self-care.
Please speak to Miss Snowball (Mental health & well-being lead) or any other adult you know and feel comfortable with, if you would like any more information or any support in contacting services at home or in school.
Services and Websites
Every Mind Matters
Public Health England’s new mental health campaign to support children and young people and their parents and carers: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
Place2Be
https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/services-for-schools/mental-health-resources-for-schools/coronavirus-wellbeing-activity-ideas-for-schools/
Stop, Breathe, Think
My life- app available with a version for children and one for adults: https://my.life/
FRIENDS
Friends Resilience App found in Apple App Store. This app supports all strategies and techniques used within Stamfordham to support children with their mental health.
Further support organisations
https://youngminds.org.uk/resources/school-resources/find-your-feet-transition-tips-for-parents/
http://www.anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk/family-and-friends/parents
https://www.autismhelp.info/primary-years
https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/