PSHE
At Pannal, PSHE (which falls mainly under the ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development’ are of the EYFS curriculum) starts in the Early Years with children being taught to thoughtfully and sensitively think and talk about emotions and to think about themselves and others kindly. Staff in the EYFS treat PSHE as an absolute priority – they know that children need to be happy and settled before they are ready to learn. Plenty of time is given for talking through scenarios that may arise - staff are aware that young children need explicitly teaching about how to function as part of a large group. Specific teaching time is given to teaching children how to look after their health; mental and physical. Children take part in Mindfulness activities and Forest School sessions, as well as learning about their bodies and how to look after them. The children take part in both planned and spontaneous activities. For example, they may talk about keeping clean when we learn about babies, they may use a timer to make sure they are sharing the toys fairly, or they may need help settling a dispute about whose turn it is to use the marble run.
To teach PSHE in Key Stages 1 and 2 we have adopted the Question- Based model from the PHSE Association and adapted it to match the needs of our cohorts. The overview of this can be found here. Focusing on our well-being and the well-being of others is a thread that can be seen running throughout everything we do at Pannal school. To be ‘Pannal-shaped’, is to demonstrate both the Olympic values of self-belief, passion, respect, determination, teamwork, honesty. Pupils are celebrated when they demonstrate these values and choices and encouraged to work on those that they find hardest to achieve.
Pupils at Pannal, also, work on their own personal ‘toolkit’ every year to record activities, experiences and strategies that aid their ability to remain calm, stay focused and be happy i.e. to nurture their mental health. They also reflect on how this changes as the years progress; which methods still work for them and which no longer do. We hope this reflection will, in time, be invaluable in creating life-long strategies to maintain wellbeing.
Staff are encouraged to share their own strategies for keeping mentally and physically healthy with pupils as well as each other. This could be spending time outdoors, appreciating nature, cooking, doodling or a physical activity like joining our running club etc. This supports everyone at Pannal to find techniques that work for them but also encourages them to see activities from a different angle, one which highlights the effect on their mental health.
Finally, we aim for all our community members at Pannal School to embrace well-being and be able to cope with life’s ups and downs. On offer to pupils, parents and staff are a variety of external and internal programmes that can be used to support the well-being of all, both at home and at school. We value everyone’s mental and physical health and aim for everyone at Pannal school to thrive.
Within school, Mrs Dent is employed to offer pastoral support to pupils and also provides home visits for supporting with parenting issues.
Every Monday, we have a counsellor in school from JustB.
Just B Emotional Wellbeing Support
Just ‘B’ provides emotional wellbeing support to primary and secondary schools in our area. This service aims to provide children and young people with a space to share, explore and develop an understanding of their lives and emotional responses.
https://justb.org.uk/schools-support/
Additional Emotional Support
The Go-to
The Go-to is a new mental health website for supporting children and young people in North Yorkshire.
Please see the attached guidance and link to access this resource.
Elsa Support
The link below offers free emotional support resources.
https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/
Compass Phoenix (formerly Compass Buzz and Reach)
Compass Phoenix is a free, confidential health and wellbeing service for children and young people between the ages of 5-19.
It’s also available for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) up to the age of 25.
The Compass Phoenix service is for those children and young people who may benefit from receiving early help and prevention of harm work in relation to mild to moderate emotional wellbeing and mental health issues.
The aim of the service is to improve outcomes for children and young people’s mental health by strengthening the range of mental health support available to children and young people.
https://www.compass-uk.org/services/compass-phoenix/
Growing Healthy North Yorkshire – Healthy Child Team
The Healthy Child Team promote and protect the health and wellbeing of all children and young people aged 5 to 19. They work with children, young people and families to empower and enable them to make informed decisions about health, and to support them in transitioning safely and happily into adult life. On their website they provide useful information for children and their families including sleep, e-safety and emotional health.
https://hdftchildrenshealthservice.co.uk/ourservice/growing-healthy-0-19-north-yorkshire/
