Wellbeing

Wicklea’s vision statement

At Wicklea, we understand how positive wellbeing can affect our development and resilience. We understand how the wellbeing of others around us can be influenced by us and influence us. We understand that wellbeing is a fluid feeling and we all journey through periods of positive and negative mental health.

Because of this, we understand that, to promote best outcomes for the children, parents and staff at Wicklea, we want to work towards the promotion of wellness of all the members in our school community.

Wellbeing strategy

Using information gathered through the school evaluation form, stakeholder evaluation form, provision and risk factors, Wicklea Academy shall be promoting positive wellbeing through the following areas.

Parents

Developing wellbeing during the school holiday

• Easily-accessed activities (free, local).
• Access to free lunch schemes to support financially.

Build the parent community within the school through the use of after-school play-alongs

Developing parents’ ability to promote positive wellbeing amongst themselves and their children.

• Provide first-hand information and support to parents.
• Provide information and signposting to promote wellbeing.
• Provide training and key skills to promote wellbeing.

Children

Develop understanding and awareness around wellbeing, acceptance of mental ill-health and of positive strategies to improve mental wellbeing.

• School assemblies
• Develop PSHE lessons

Promote a culture of positive wellbeing within the school.

• Teaching wellbeing strategies
• Promoting positive attitudes within the school

Develop and improve the wellbeing of students transitioning into Year 3 and from Year 6.

Staff

Develop a strong community within the school staff team.

• Creating a staff social team
• Breakfast or lunch clubs

Promote the wellbeing of staff within their jobs

• ‘Fun’ appreciation activities such as ‘you’ve been mugged’.
• Look into yoga or alternative therapies before, during or after school.
• Adapting teaching appraisal and look into performing ‘wellbeing checks’.

Build awareness around mental health.

• Training for staff’s own mental health
• Training to support staff and children’s mental wellbeing.

What is well-being?

Psychological wellbeing is often viewed as having two sides.

Hedonic well-being:

• Happiness
• Subjective well-being (how people experience their own well-being)
• Positive emotions

Eudaimonic well-being:

• Self-acceptance (positive attitudes towards themselves).
• Environmental mastery (how the person feels in charge of their daily life and the activities they take part in).
• Positive relationships (building meaningful relationships that include reciprocal empathy, intimacy and affection).
• Personal growth (an understanding that we continue to develop through challenge and being able to identify areas of improvement for them over time).
• Purpose in life (having a ‘goal’ that gives meaning to life).
• Autonomy (able to regulate their own behaviour independent of social pressures).

Although happiness obviously leads to a positive wellbeing, meaningfulness and vitality also have a significant effect.

Wellbeing Award

Developed in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), the Wellbeing Award for Schools is intended to help schools prepare and equip themselves to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health across the whole-school community. NCB’s vision is an education system where good emotional wellbeing and mental health are at the heart of the culture and ethos of all schools, so that pupils, with the support of their teachers, can build confidence and flourish. Evidence shows us that wellbeing is of central importance to learning and attainment, with high levels of wellbeing associated with improved academic outcomes. Conversely, pupils who have mental health problems are more likely to have academic difficulties at school and experience social disadvantage later in adult life.

To achieve this vision, NCB advocates the use of a ‘whole-school approach’ where all aspects of the school experience are harnessed to promote the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils and staff. It is an approach where emotional wellbeing and mental health is everybody’s business.

The Wellbeing Award for Schools is a welcome opportunity to recognise the exceptional work that schools do in this area. The key features of a whole-school approach form the basis of the award, and it provides schools with a benchmark of best practice against which to test itself. We believe that this celebration of success will encourage more schools to adopt an approach that puts emotional wellbeing and mental health at the heart of what they do.

The award process

There are five stages in the WAS process and the school will be supported throughout in order to evidence best practice and to achieve the award:

• School self-evaluation.
• Preparation of an action plan.
• Implementation of actions and collecting evidence into a portfolio.
• Interim assessment of progress.
• Verification of achievement of the award.

The award is expected to be achieved within a maximum of 12-15 months. Within this timescale, the process is supportive, developmental and progressive, rather than a box-ticking, target-driven exercise.

Main objectives of the wellbeing award

Vision and strategy

Commit to a clear vision and strategy of how the school will promote and protect emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Networks

Have systems and external partnerships in place to support different types of emotional and mental health needs. Share these with people in need.

Positive culture

Working to address the negative stigma attached to mental health and raising awareness; ensuring that emotional wellbeing and mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all.

Participation

Work with the whole school community to support emotional wellbeing and mental health, this includes parents, carers, children and other members in our community.

Professional development

Commit to high-quality, ongoing professional development on emotional wellbeing and mental health for all appropriate stakeholders.

Staff wellbeing

Actively promote emotional wellbeing and mental health, including wellbeing events.

Wellbeing award report

We were delighted to achieve the Wellbeing Award for Schools in November 2020.  This was excellent recognition of what we already do, in relation to supporting and improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our whole school community.

On achieving the award the assessor provided the following report:

Strengths identified during verification:

Wicklea Academy offers a safe and nurturing environment for the children, staff, parents and the whole school community and needs to be praised for the work it has done in embedding positive structures and developing strong relationships that support mental health and wellbeing and enable children to learn, flourish and achieve their full potential.

A strength of the school is its whole school ethos and values culture, which the Headteacher and stakeholders across the trust have worked hard to develop and embed.

The leadership team, parents, staff and students endorsed the positive environment that has been created.

The leadership and management

• The wellbeing of all is the central principle of the school and the foundation on which all other developments are built upon.
• Leaders have a very clear vision of how to further develop the school’s provision to support emotional wellbeing and positive mental health. This is exemplified in the current strategy for this academic year and longer-term plans.
• Leaders model the standards expected within the school. All staff are treated with respect by the senior management.
• A real strength of the management has been to use staff strengths and skills. As can be seen with the appointment of Aidan Hazard as Wellbeing Lead.

Parents

• Parents recognise the work of the school in supporting both the children and the wider family. They value the approachability of all staff and feel confident in voicing any worries or concerns. Moreover, they know that any issues will be addressed straight away and followed up.
• Parents appreciate the focus on the personal development of their children, as well as being kept fully informed about their child’s academic achievement. They feel the school is a very welcoming and nurturing environment.
• They feel this is a school where their children can ‘feel safe and secure and empowered to find solutions.’
• A new family support worker has been hired to support home school links and mental health and wellbeing.
• Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, parents feel the school has been extremely supportive. Staff maintained regular contact with families throughout lockdown.

Staff

The staff work well together and are very supportive of one another. There is evidence of strong teamwork, such as the staff breakfast club on the first Friday of the month, which is used as a forum for bringing staff together.  Staff regularly look out for each other and clearly care about each other’s wellbeing.

• There is an excellent insurance system in place called SAS (Schools Advisory Service) which supports staff wellbeing and mental health.
• Staff recognise the important role they have to support the emotional wellbeing of pupils and families.
• The school’s curriculum is used to enhance emotional wellbeing and promote mental health. With PHSE – jigsaw, circle time and a strong emphasis on outdoor play and learning.
• A significant strength of the school is the work they have done to improve staff wellbeing and mental health. The senior leadership team need to be commended for their work in this area and raising the wellbeing capital of staff.

Pupils

• The pupils thrive, with so many positive wellbeing practices – values displayed throughout the school, a beautiful values mural in the corridors, Circle Time, Pupil Voice, Wellbeing Champions, Positive Playground practices for lunchtimes, nurture support for vulnerable children, anxiety strategies, lego therapy, mindfulness club, yoga club, Jigsaw PHSE curriculum, self-esteem building activities, counselling and so much more.
• Pupils talked about the different strategies they have used to help them keep mentally healthy which included talking about their feelings. Pupils know that they can turn to adults in school but also their friends.
• Pupils clearly enjoy learning and during the tour of the school, there was clear evidence of strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Pupils interviewed said that mental wellbeing was a priority of the school. They liked the worry boxes and random acts of kindness activity, which they said had had a definite positive impact on their wellbeing.
• They enjoy the wellbeing activities such as yoga, colouring, mindfulness club, Eco club.
• They appreciate and value the support of their teachers and school leaders and commented that they feel safe and secure.
• Staff relationships with students are excellent, they go the extra mile, meeting the needs of students emotionally and educationally.
• It was wonderful to meet such confident, polite and self-assured children.

As a result of the development of positive behaviours for learning and excellent relationship throughout the school community, behaviour is outstanding. Regular assessments are conducted in this area to ensure the wellbeing of all is maintained.

All have clearly worked hard on the award programme and the positive leadership behaviours need to be celebrated. The role and impact of Matthew Morgan, Hannah Reeve, Aidan Hazard, the leadership team, the change team, the staff and parents at Wicklea Academy, together with support of governors has been critical in the excellent results achieved.

Impact:

This is a school that was previously in special measures and has been turned around by excellent leadership and positive wellbeing practices over the last three years.

The reflections shared were:

‘There has been massive change for the positive and systems are far more proactive.’

‘Staff care for our mental wellbeing. ‘

‘Everyone works together.’

‘We can go to the school counsellor or Mrs Reeve if we have a problem.’

‘All the teachers are very nice.’

‘There is an incredibly positive atmosphere here.’

‘It’s a joy to work here.’

‘There are very positive relationships throughout the school.’

‘The children are very happy, safe, secure and well mannered.’

‘Staff are better skilled at Mental Health and Wellbeing support.’

The award has highlighted how embedded wellbeing approaches are in the school.

Areas for development:

This is a school which shows excellent practice and has created an environment and ethos across the whole school effectively promoting good mental health and wellbeing.

The first area to consider is sustainability. While the leadership team has a good plan for moving forward with wellbeing, we need to expect turbulence and change, and we would suggest the leadership considers where problems could arise and plan ahead.

The school has strong links and relationships with parents, carers, outside agencies and the community and we would encourage you to maintain and develop these further.

We would encourage you to develop the change team so that they have a more pro active role in the school.

We would suggest you showcase the outstanding emotional wellbeing and mental health work with your local authority.

Verifier recommendation:

I am delighted to award Wicklea Academy the Wellbeing Award for Schools.

This reflects the school, staff, students, parents’ and governors’ commitment to emotional wellbeing and mental health and your achievements across the school.

This award covers the following three years. I look forward to the work the school will undertake over this time.