Mental Health & Wellbeing at Potten End 

At Potten End C of E Primary School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils, their families and our staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.

 At our school we:                 

• help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
• help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• help children socially to form and maintain relationships
• promote self-esteem and ensure children know that they count
• encourage children to be confident and ‘dare to be different’
• help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

We offer different levels of support:

Universal support – To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance, developing resilience for all.

Additional support – For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement, divorce or separation.

Targeted support – For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups, Drawing and Talking or referrals to wider specialist support services.

At Potten End School, we know that pupils who have a positive attitude towards their learning will make good progress and be successful. Consequently, instilling all our pupils with ‘growth mindsets’ has become a key priority for the school this academic year. 

We want all our pupils to relish challenges, embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process, value the importance of effort, respond carefully to feedback and take inspiration from others. This will help them to achieve, not only with us, but also in their future lives as adults.

We are very excited about the prospect of nurturing a growth mindset culture at Potten End. Please see the Growth Mindset presentation given to parents by clicking below.

Encouraging children to become confident and resilient learners

We know that in order to fulfil the potential of our pupils and encourage them to become confident and resilient learners we, as a team of parents and staff, need to be modelling the mindset of a learner who is not afraid of making mistakes but who thrives upon them, knowing that this is all part of the learning process. The way in which we encourage children to learn and explore is vital to their success, not only at school but at home as well.

We consistently endeavour to challenge and develop the attitudes of all pupils and staff towards learning by considering what makes a successful learner. We have dedicated sessions in class to address what kind of learners we want to be and how we can positively approach challenges inside and outside the classroom. The school is buzzing with talk of perseverance, challenge, risks and celebrating mistakes.

Central to this attitude and approach to learning, are the theories and proven evidence of Growth Mindset. This is a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck and her research has identified the characteristics of learners with a fixed and a growth mindset:

Key aspects of growth mindset:

• We celebrate making mistakes – we can learn from them;
• We never give up – perseverance is the key if we are to succeed;
• We learn from each other;
• We don’t compare ourselves with others;
• We challenge ourselves and take risks;
• We remember that our brains are making new connections and growing all the time.

For further information on how to encourage confident and resilient learners at home, have a look at some of the links below.

https://www.mindsetworks.com/parents/growth-mindset-parenting

https://www.oxfordlearning.com/growth-mindset-tips-for-parents/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-try-new-things