Mental Health & Well Being

Folkestone Primary’s universal offer for all pupils:

• Nurture and Resilience informed practice in all classrooms, following Nurture UK’s six principles of Nurture and HeadStart’s Kent School Resilience toolkit

• Boxall Profiling to assess the SEMH needs of all our pupils

• Safe, calm and structured learning environments with clear and consistent routines and expectations, supported through visual prompts (e.g. visual timetables)

• Whole school awareness of the importance of supporting children’s emotional mental health, supported through regular CPD opportunities to upskill our staff (e.g. trained Mental Health First Aiders)

• Leadership and management that supports and champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing (e.g. Trauma informed leadership)

• Exceptional pastoral care, with support of our dedicated Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) - Mrs Hollie Fahey, Family Liaison Officer (FLO) - Miss Maria Cunningham, SEMH lead and Associate SENDCo - Miss Sally Rolfe and SENDCo - Miss Hannah Clifton

• Curriculum, teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning (e.g. Zones of Regulation)

• Nurturing environment to support the needs of all pupils (e.g. safe spaces, wellbeing clubs during unstructured times)

• Bespoke Nurture/ Sensory room, accessible to all pupils

• An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity 

• Enabling pupil voice to influence decisions (e.g. School Council, Eco Monitors)

• Resilience Conversation and Self-Reflection tools used to gain an overview of pupils’ needs and strengths (e.g. YouHQ/ Kooth interactive platforms)

• Robust PSHE curriculum with opportunities for open discussion (e.g. ‘Ask it basket’/ worry box)

 Targeted support for identified children

• Small group intervention sessions to support SEMH and develop social skills (e.g. Build an Island, LEGO Therapy)

• Small group Interventions to develop emotional literacy and promote wellbeing (e.g. Zones of Regulation, Zippy’s Friends, Speech Bubbles, SALUS Youth Participation)  

• Regular emotional check-ins with allocated staff members (e.g. ELSA, SENDCo, FLO, DSLs)

• ‘Drop-in’ sessions with school child Psychotherapist(s) (LightSpace)

• Nurture group sessions with ELSA

• ‘Teddy Time’ with school therapy dog

• Assemblies/ group workshops centred around mental health and wellbeing (e.g. Brain Buddies provided by NELFT Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners, Upfront Theatre company)

 Specialist support for children identified with a high level of need

• Individualised support of a key worker (e.g. emotional check-ins, zones of regulation, sensory breaks)

• 1:1 Draw and Talk therapy with the school’s Draw and Talk therapist

• 1:1 Counselling and/or play based therapy with the school’s Child Psychotherapist(s)

• 1:1 parental support with school based NELFT Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner(s)

• School referral to external support agencies (e.g. Specialist Teaching and Learning Service, CYPMHS, SALUS, CAMHS, Home-Start and Early Help). 

If you have any questions relating to Folkestone Primary’s SEMH provision or would like to speak to a member of the team, please contact Hannah Clifton (SENDCo) by emailing fpsendco@turnerschools.com