Pastoral Support and Early Help
‘Rooted in love, our inclusive school community is safe, warm and welcoming, with wellbeing at the heart of all we do. Everyone is enabled to be curious, love learning and grow together with respect at our two unique sites.’
As stated in our vision and lived out within our school, wellbeing and good mental health is at the core of our offer to our children, families, staff, and community. One of our key messages is that ‘love is not just a feeling; it is a way of relating to everyone (and the world) around us’; therefore relationships are a priority within our school and the NCSF Trust.
All staff invest time in building relationships with the children, their families, each other, and the community. We believe that supporting children to understand their emotions and connect with their spirituality is essential, so children can be in the right place to learn and flourish. We invest in this philosophy by providing a varied offer for all of our school family, this includes employing key people to work with our children and families.
Emma Clark -
Pastoral Leader and St James’ and Ebrington Parent Support Advisor
Available via the school office:
stjebadmin@ncsf.school
01386 840634
Our Pastoral Leader/Parent Support Advisor is there to support your children but also you as a family. We can offer friendly, non-judgemental support and advice for a range of issues, such as:-
behaviour concerns
school attendance
financial concerns
bereavement
… and much more
We can signpost to a range of services, offer information, liaise with other professionals, give you a chance to discuss concerns, support you in meetings, and help with understanding processes. The Pastoral Team work closely with Georgina Holder (Head of School), Lucy Jones (SENDCo), the Class Teachers, and Teaching Partners.
Each class has a reflection space, which provides resources to help the children regulate and support them dependent on how they feel. Each zone has suggestions for different resources or activities that may help them. Every class has a worry monster which the children can use at any time to share a worry with their teacher.
Wellbeing and Mental Health
The children at St James’ and Ebrington learn how to recognise emotions and feelings, which supports them in being able to self-regulate more effectively and help manage varying big feelings. This in turn will enable them to form healthy relationships and friendships and can help them deal with life’s setbacks by building positive resilience.
Every day the children and staff ‘check-in’ using the ‘Zones of Regulation’ which we link to our ‘Ows, Wows, and Nows - The Language of Spirituality’. The children are invited to ‘check-in’ and can share if they wish, each teacher strives to be emotionally available for the children and they create a learning environment which allows the children to feel safe to share how they are feeling. Visit our Spirituality & Christian Values page here:
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness can help children manage their emotions and promote self-regulation.
Click the link for 5 Fun Mindfulness activities you can do with your child at home.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear that a child can experience as combined thoughts or feelings. These can also manifest into physical sensations, headaches, sickness, and feeling shaky. It is a normal part of growing up that all children will, at some time, feel worried (before a test, change of routine or health issues for example), and a majority of children will be able to calm themselves down and feel better. Though for some children this can be hard to achieve and the feelings they experience can become overwhelming and distressing. Below are some websites that offer support and advice to parents.
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside is a book that is used across the school to encourage children to open up about their worries and anxieties.
Pupil Wellbeing and Mental Health Offer
Social, Emotional & Mental Health
The NCSF Trust is committed to promoting the social, emotional & mental health (SEMH) needs and wellbeing of all pupils.
We aim to:-
Promote a positive outlook for children with SEMH needs.
Eliminate prejudice towards children with SEMH needs.
Promote equal opportunities for all
Ensure all children with SEMH needs are identified and supported effectively
Nurture & Emotional Support Team (NEST)
Our NEST team offers SEMH support to pupils, staff and parents. This includes:-
individual or group support including Nurture support
ensuring children have access to Emotionally Available Adults
1:1, group or class interventions
therapeutic support including play therapy
staff training
parent meetings and training
Promoting Children's Emotional Wellbeing
NCSF Trust schools offer emotional wellbeing to pupils through the use of:-
Daily Check-ins including the use of the Zones of RegulationTM
Circle times promoting relationship building
Conflict resolution circles
Problem solving circles
Pupil surveys
Gloucestershire Healthy Living & Learning Award
Physical Wellbeing
NCSF Trust schools offer physical wellbeing through:-
Physical Education lessons using Active Sports
Active Blast - Physical playtimes
NCSF Sports festivals & fixtures
After school clubs
Forest school
Early Help Offer
What is Early Help?
We recognise that there are times when family life can be a struggle and extra support and help may be necessary. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem arises and this can be done in any stage of a child's life, right through to adolescence.
Our early help offer aims to improve outcomes for children and families by preventing problems becoming serious and harmful.
We work with Gloucestershire Early Help and Targeted Support teams, who offer a range of advice, guidance and support.
What does Early Help include?
Support for parents may include:-
Providing information and signposting to other services in the area & community
Liaising with a range of external agencies, including meetings with multi-agency members.
Support with completion of paperwork and forms, including Foodbank, DLA, housing.
Advice and support in promoting positive behaviour at home
Attendance support
School transition support, including working closely with Secondary Schools
Support for children and young people:-
Supporting and promoting positive relationship building and behaviours
Promoting self-esteem, resilience and confidence.
Support with emotional literacy
Support with attendance and punctuality
Promoting positive learning attitudes
Providing individualised support
How to access this support
We ask that you contact your child's school and speak to the Head of School. Advice, guidance and support may be sought from -
Mrs. Lucy Jones - SENDCo
Mrs. Emma Clark - Pastoral Lead and Senior Mental Health Lead
Support from other agencies
The agencies below can be contacted directly for help and support.
Gloucestershire School Nurses are registered nurses or midwives who support children and young people with emotional and mental health issues, relationships and sexual health, bladder and bowel issues, lifestyle health and family worries.
We aim to improve health outcomes for families, prevent ill health and protect children from harm through a professional, visible, accessible and confidential service on 01242 581009.
They offer a wide range of information to support families, children and young people. The on-line directory gives information on disability, money and work, parenting, housing, education, health and wellbeing, childcare and things to do in the community. There is also support on tax credits and benefits. You can contact them on 0800 5420202 or 01452 427362.
CCP (Caring for Communities and People)
The Cheltenham-based charity aims to support individuals and families in many ways. They can be contacted on 01242 228 999. CCP exists to improve the lives of children, young people, families and vulnerable adults who have multiple and complex needs.
Promote and support healthy living
Help maintain a safe and stable home environment
Encourage and support learning and achievement
Promote respect and positive social behaviour
Encourage personal economic sustainability
Provide both crisis and preventative services
Parenting advice from mental health experts. Practical tips to support children’s wellbeing and behaviour.
Domestic Abuse
If you, or someone you know, is affected by domestic abuse there are a number of things you can do.
Call the police (999 in an emergency or 101 for a non-emergency situation).
Contact GDASS on 0845 602 9035 (www.gdass.org.uk) for practical local support. GDASS can help you and your children stay safe in your own home. GDASS can help you access specialist legal advice and GDASS can help you with other agencies (e.g. Benefits and Housing). If you cannot stay at home, GDASS can help you find a Place of Safety. GDASS can also help you and your children move on.
Contact a help line: National Domestic Violence Helpline (0808 2000 247)
Online Safety
How do we keep children safe online but still allow them to enjoy all the positives of the internet?
The online world now encompasses, through mobile phones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices where social media, online games, websites and apps can be accessed. This means children are exposed to new risks and harms. Help can be found
