Promoting Positive Mental Health
Together We Can Make a Difference!
The governing body and staff of Bentley Church of England VC and Copdock Primary Schools know that there is a growing awareness of children and young people's mental health needs. This has brought with it a recognition of the need to offer support earlier, through preventative approaches that focus on building resilience and promoting well being.
What is mental health?
Mental health includes our emotional, phychological and social well -being, it affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps to determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices and is important at everystage of life, from childhood through to adulthood. Discussions about mental health often focus on difficulties and problems, in contrast to physical health where it may be easier to think about positive and healthier lifestyle messages. Recent awareness about mental health has enabled our physical health and our mental health to be seen as equally important.
We actively encourage and value peer support in promoting positive mental health. Peer support includes peer coaching, peer listening, peer mentoring and buddying. Furthermore, each of these terms are familiar to our children and include three common features:
- children and young people helping and supporting each other
- planned and structured support
- supporters are trained to fulfill their role
If you would like to know more about how we promote positive mental health, please speak to Heidi Cross at Copdock or Alice North at Bentley. Alternatively, you can read our mental health policy.
Useful links:
Education Hub - Mental health resources for children, students, parents, carers and school/college staff - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)
Mental health and wellbeing | Suffolk County Council