At Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children, parents, carers, staff and the wider community. Being able to manage and share feelings, cope with setbacks, be sensitive to others’ feelings and needs, managing worries and stress and knowing when and who to ask for help are essential skills we aim to develop in every child. We also offer support, advice, information and sign-posting to parents/carers and staff.

At our school, we aim to:

• Set out our school’s approach to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing for all children across our school.

• Provide guidance to staff on their role in supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, including how they can foster and maintain an inclusive culture in which children feel able to talk about and reflect on their experiences of mental health.

• Support staff to identify and respond to early warning signs of mental health issues.

• Inform children and their parents/carers about the support they can expect from our school in respect of children’s mental health and wellbeing, and provide them with access to resources.

As part of our school’s commitment to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing for all children, our school offers support to all children by: 

• Raising awareness of mental health during assemblies and our PSHE curriculum that helps pupils to build important life skills.

• Having open discussions about mental health during PSHE lessons.

• Using feelings boxes/worry monsters/calm tables or corners and an open-door policy in each classroom to provide children with the chance to provide feedback on any elements of school or home that is negatively impacting their mental health.

• Monitoring all children’s mental health through assessments, e.g. a strengths and difficulties questionnaire, pupil progress meetings, parents evenings, regular contact between teachers and parents.

• Having home/school communication books for children who require more regular updates.

• Having an allocated buddy for all new children.

• Offering pastoral support, e.g. through SLT, time in ‘The Nest’, time to talk sessions, Lego therapy.

• Providing extra transition sessions and meet the teacher sessions for when a child is finding a class move challenging.

• Providing a range of physical lunchtime activities and quieter lunchtime activities to promote mental health and wellbeing and support for children who may find busy lunchtimes stressful.

• Using the Zones of Regulation as a positive behaviour system to promote talking about feelings and emotions and strategies to self-regulate.

• Including World Mental Health Day and Mental Health Awareness Week in the school calendar and planning activities for the whole school.

• Signposting all parents to sources of online support on our school website.

At a strategic level we also further demonstrate our commitment to positive mental health and wellbeing by;

• Having a designated Mental Health Lead (Mrs Z. Fairbairn) with a strategic oversight of our whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, PSHE Lead (Miss C. Springall) and SENCo (Mrs K. McGaughey). 

• Regularly reviewing our Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy, action plan and provision map.

Future plans for the academic year 2026-2027 include:

• Embedding our lunchtime play opportunities (play-leaders to support younger children in positive play, additional resources).

• A mindfulness club to support self regulation and the techniques for positive mindfulness.
• To achieve the new Trauma Perceptive Practice (TPP) progression stage, illustrating integration of TPP within our school, ensuring quality assurance and impact-measuring approaches.
• Work alongside NHS England to achieve Essex Working Well accreditation and train 2 members of staff to be mental health leads.

What do I do if I am worried about my child’s mental health or wellbeing?

• Go to your GP as a first port of call as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services, or speak to a School Nurse. Referrals for the School Nurse service can be made both through your GP and through school. 

• Talk to your child’s class teacher about your child’s needs or your concerns.

• Talk to the Mental Health Lead or SENCo in school. ​

Online Resources and Support

Please take a look at our Social, Emotional and Mental Health Provision Map. It demonstrates the range of provision available to our learners throughout our school. It is an ongoing self-evaluation process which requires us to continuously audit, plan, implement and review the provision in our school to enable us to meet the needs of all children within the school setting. It details the three types of provision: Universal, targeted and personalised. 

It provides details of local support and other useful contacts and links.