At St Marie’s Catholic Primary School & Nursery, we are committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our pupils and staff.

We have a supportive and caring ethos underpinned by our A.S.P.I.R.E and Jesuit values. At school, we promote a respectful, kind and reflective learning environment in which each individual and contribution is valued.

As a school, we acknowledge that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable. We take the view that supporting positive mental health is vitally important and that we all have a role to play.

At our school we:

• Help children to understand their emotions and feelings better;
• Help children to feel comfortable sharing concerns or worries;
• Support children socially to form and maintain relationships;
• Promote self-esteem;
• Encourage children to be confident;
• Help children to develop resilience and to manage challenges.

We promote a mentally healthy environment through:

• 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;
• Providing opportunities to reflect;
• Access to appropriate support that meets their needs.

Teachers, parents and children all have vital contributions to make in creating a happy and healthy school.

What is mental health?

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Being mentally healthy means that we feel good about ourselves, make and keep positive relationships with others and can feel and manage the full range of emotions. 

These can range from happiness, excitement and curiosity through to less comfortable feelings such as anger, fear or sadness. 

Good mental health allows us to cope with life's ups and downs, to feel in control of our lives and to ask for help from others when we need support. 

What is wellbeing?

The definition of wellbeing is both feeling good and functioning well. Often, life events that are outside our control can damage our mental health, and this is made worse if we feel powerless to do anything about them.

One of the ways we can re-gain a sense of control and nourish our mental health is to remember 'the five ways to wellbeing' which have been found in research to improve mental wellbeing in children and adults.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing Framework was developed by the New Economics Foundation as a set of five evidence based actions that promote wellbeing. Based on the latest scientific evidence the simple actions, if taken regularly, can improve wellbeing and enhance quality of life.