At Carnarvon, we develop the 'whole child'. We believe that the mental wellbeing of each child is at the heart of everything we do. Happy, emotionally contented children are ready to achieve their best, academically and socially.

In school, we explicitly teach children about how to manage life issues through our P.S.H.E (Personal, Social and Health Education) curriculum, as well as talking about issues in assemblies at key points in the year, such as Mental Health Wellbeing Week and Neurodiversity Celebration Week.

However, there are times we know that children's mental health can be negatively affected for a variety of reasons. ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) are specially trained to work with children experiencing emotional challenges. If the class teacher identifies an emotional or behavioural change in a child in school, they may benefit from ELSA support. We have two ELSAs in school who can offer support over a period of six weeks.

Sometimes, a child may be facing emotional issues which are being demonstrated at home but not at school.  In this case, there are a number of outside agencies that may help including being supported by the Mental Health Support Team. Parents can self-refer to the Mental Health Support Team, or the school can do this on behalf of the parent. Mrs Anderson is the Senior Mental Health Lead in school. If you have any queries, please get in touch through the School Office.

Below are resources that give advice and support for parents regarding mental health, including specific issues such as separation anxiety, low mood, anger, bereavement, and many more. The first link includes the QR code for parents who would like to self-refer to the Mental Health Support Team.