At Beaconfields Primary School, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our children and staff to ensure that the school is a community where everyone feels able to thrive. Positive mental wellbeing is essential if children are to flourish and lead fulfilling lives. 

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.  

Our role in school is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress, and that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. Children are taught when to seek help, what help is available, and the likely outcome of seeking support so that they have the confidence and knowledge for themselves or others. We also have a role to ensure that children learn about what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health and how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. As part of our targeted provision, we have and continue to access, outside help and support for pupils when required. 

At Beaconfields, we believe that teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing as part of a comprehensive PSHCE (Personal, social, health, citizenship and economic education) curriculum is vital. PSHCE is central to the curriculum across the whole school and assists children to cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world, manage transitions and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities. The concepts covered in PSHCE include keeping safe and managing risk, identity, equality, managing feelings and emotions, relationships, change, resilience and being healthy, which includes physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. We aim to promote children’s wellbeing through an understanding of their own and others’ emotions and the development of healthy coping strategies.