‘Every child has the right to the best possible health’
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

At Thornton Dale, we strongly believe that children must feel safe, happy and a sense of belonging in order to successfully learn and achieve at school. In an ever-changing world, where children are presented with challenges and uncertainty, understanding how to maintain good mental and physical health from a young age is essential for children, as they progress through their education and into adulthood.

Over the course of their education, children spend 7,800 hours learning. This is a large amount of time in school and is therefore an ideal environment for teachers and children to promote healthy emotional well-being, recognise early behaviour changes and identify signs of decline in mental health. At Thornton, we believe that children who develop their social and emotional skills, as well as knowledge in the classroom, can build resilience and understand ways of managing their mental health as they progress through life.

Children at Thornton Dale are supported to maintain good mental and physical health by:
• Positive teacher-pupil relationships that are built on kindness, trust and mutual respect.
• A PSHE Curriculum that has been designed to support children’s understanding of the wider world as they progress from Reception to Year 6, and knowledge about managing challenging real-life situations that they may experience. The five areas they will learn about are:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
• A PE Curriculum that teaches children the important role that exercise plays in supporting their mental health.
• Completing self-regulation upon arrival into school. Teachers have an opportunity to support the emotional needs of children on a daily basis, before learning takes place through our emotions check in.
• Access to a ‘nurture space’ and ‘safe spaces’ for children to regulate their emotions in a quiet and safe area.
• Morning rituals at the start of the day, where activities are completed to ensure children are mentally prepared for their day of learning.
• Active breaks. Research suggests that children who exercise regularly can concentrate for longer periods of time and perform better in the classroom.

By creating a nurturing and supportive environment, we want every child at Thornton Dale to be psychologically safe and happy. Children will be confident in expressing their own feelings, have emotional resilience, which increases their ability to learn, and develop an understanding of the importance and ways of maintaining good mental and physical health.

Mrs Collins is our Mental Health lead within school and we have a Mental Health and Well-being working party which is outlined below. 

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