Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Liphook Federation, we believe in promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in pupils, staff and parents to provide an environment that enables every learner to achieve, belong and thrive. Everyone will go through ups and downs during their school career and some will face significant life events, so we aim to equip pupils with the tools to manage these changes in a positive manner.

Mental Health “is a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

At Liphook federation, we promote positive mental health through:

Living out our school vision: We are all loved. We all belong. We all have something to give. This reflects our belief that everyone is special, unique and loved and shapes the way we build relationships, nurture confidence and create a strong sense of belonging. We are committed to fostering a caring and respectful environment where everyone feels valued, supported and able to flourish.
Weaving our core values – Loving-kindness, Respect and Aspiration – into the fabric of daily school life. These values guide how we learn, grow and care for one another, creating a culture where everyone is encouraged to try their best, believe in themselves and reach their full potential.
Using the Empowerment Approach to:
- Teach pupils how their brains work and help them to understand their needs and stressors
- Help pupils to recognise their strengths and difficulties and use this knowledge to build on strengths and manage difficulties positively
- Help pupils to develop the ability to understand, use and manage emotions in positive ways to communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict
- Help pupils to develop confidence in their ability to exert control over their own motivation, behaviour & social environment
Using Trick Box – a personal development programme, which, together with a self-coaching card, helps to develop a full range of empowering personal habits in 4 key areas:
- Confidence: confident – thinking, body-language, self-beliefs and actions
- Calm: mindful – emotional management, relaxation and solution thinking
- Communication: positive – communication, choices and behaviour
- Creativity: creative – mindset, interests, opportunities

These promote positive social interaction and help to build emotional resilience.

Using Oracy Skills to:
- Self-advocate i.e.: represent their own views, needs, interests and concerns
- Listen to the views of others, who may not share their own, and use these to think critically about their own views, while remaining open-minded and reflective
Helping children to feel comfortable to share any concerns or worries

We offer different levels of support

Universal support – To meet the needs of all our pupils, through our overall ethos and pro-social curriculum.

Additional support – In-school support for those who may have short-term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.

Targeted support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions e.g. 1:1 support from the Mental Health Support Team or support from CAMHS.

Our Mental Health Team

Senior Mental Health Leads

Our Senior Mental Health Leaders - Nicky Parrott and Jacky Taylor - are the first point of contact for any member of staff who is concerned about the mental health or wellbeing of a pupil. Where a referral to the Mental Health Support Team or CAMHS is appropriate, this is led and managed by one of the Senior Mental Health Leaders.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)

Our Educational Mental Health Practitioners - Jen Harrison and Grace Dixon – deliver evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health issues and support the Senior Mental Health leads to introduce and develop a whole school approach to mental health.

Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs)

Our ELSAs - Mrs C. Hilton (Infants) and Mrs T. Baird (Juniors) - deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of pupils in their care.

Support for Parents and Carers

We have produced a Padlet to help parents and carers to access support. Please click the image below.

Staff wellbeing

Working in a school can be emotionally challenging. We highly prize the emotional and mental health of all adults and young people across the Federation and provide support for staff members in a range of informal and formal ways to manage stress and secondary trauma. These include, but are not limited to:

More than 1 member of staff employed to support a child if they have especially complex emotional and behavioural needs
Informal debriefs with staff after managing challenging situations
Support through internally and externally provided CPD
Support from external agencies
Access to a confidential support and counselling service

Bereavement

We recognise that bereavement can have a profound impact on children, families and staff. We aim to respond with sensitivity, ensure open communication and offer tailored emotional support before, during and after bereavement. Staff are trained to help pupils understand grief, express their feelings, and feel safe and supported. We work closely with families and external agencies to ensure every child receives the care they need during difficult times. Please refer to our bereavement policy which provides a clear, compassionate framework to support the school community through loss.