At Heavers Farm we are constantly looking at ways we can promote positive mental health within our school and the wider community.
In order to help us understand more about how pupils at Heavers Farm are feeling and getting on with each other, we have asked children in Key Stage 2 to complete some simple surveys. The questions asked pupils how they think and feel about themselves and about the way they relate to and behave with their peers. Pupils were also asked about their friendship networks within their classes. The children had the option of skipping questions they didn’t want to answer. These surveys give an overview of pupil wellbeing and peer relationships within our school community. The reason behind undertaking the surveys is to ensure at a crucial time, post-covid, that our children are receiving the correct support and to create additional support where needed. It is unfortunate that young people had such disruption to their lives during the pandemic. Nationally, it has been reported that there has been a sharp increase in young people experiencing mental health and wellbeing symptoms. We want to ensure that our pupils are supported as we come through the other side of this and identified early where issues may arise. The data from these questionnaires are solely for use within our school and children’s responses remain anonymous.
Nurture Network
Miss Haywood has recently taken on the role of leading the Nurture Network for Croydon. Each term we invite all Croydon schools to come together at Heavers Farm to discuss everything Nurture and share good practice. The feedback received has been very positive from all parties.
Parent/Carer Coffee Mornings
Every Wednesday morning, parents and carers are invited to drop in to the Nurture room for a coffee. This gives parents and carers an informal space to share experiences and gain information about what we do during nurture sessions. We can offer support for parents and carers who are struggling and signpost them to agencies to help with areas not related to school.
The Zones of Regulation®
The concept of learning how to manage emotions by categorising them and creating a tool box of strategies to help children move securely through their emotional responses has been rolled out throughout the school. This takes the work being done on emotional wellbeing in Nurture groups back into classes so all children feel supported to express and regulate their emotions.
If you would like more information on The Zones of Regulation® please pop along to coffee in the Nurture room on Wednesdays.
Nurture Groups
Our Nurture sessions are constantly being developed to meet the needs of our children. We currently have a main group who access support three afternoons per week. Each year group have access to a range of interventions on offer, including:
- Promoting positive self-esteem
- Anger management
- Social skills
- CBT style sessions exploring the negative thinking traps
- Emotional regulation
We also offer 1-1 sessions.
In addition to this we offer lunchtime support to children struggling with making or maintaining friendships.
If you require further information on the ethos of nurture or have concerns about your own child and think they would benefit from a place in any of our interventions please do not hesitate to contact the school office and request an appointment with Donna Haywood or Rob Harnett.
