Staff & Governors
Cornwall Healthy Schools has long been a trusted source of support for school staff across all areas of health and wellbeing and, more than ever, emotional and mental health is now recognised as a key focus within this.
It is the knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm of all staff in school, alongside the governors, which drives the effectiveness of wellbeing provision across a school, so being well informed is vital.
The demands of working in the school environment cannot be overlooked, particularly in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, so remember to keep staff wellbeing high on your agenda.
Training
The CIOS PSHE Curriculum was launched to prepare Cornish schools for the new statutory PSHE requirements introduced in the academic year 2020/21. The curriculum encompasses EHWB and training and resources are available to Cornish schools through our training pages.
The Healthy Cornwall Training Team offer a variety of courses which can support all adults within the school setting with regard to mental health. These can also be adapted as bespoke sessions which you can tailor to meet your needs within your specific setting. The training team are now able to offer the specific Mental Health First Aid training regarding Youth mental health which will be of particular interest to school staff and those working with young people. In addition training is available for the adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and also ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), which provides Suicide First Aid skills to anyone who might come into contact with a person at risk.
MindEd is an e-learning portal. It contains a wealth of information to help you become informed and better equipped when dealing with children and young people. It is aimed at anyone and everyone working with children or young people, 0-18 years of age. There are a range of materials extending from general to more specialised levels.
The DfE have produced practical materials for primary and secondary schools to use to train staff about teaching mental wellbeing as part of their response to the Coronavirus pandemic. It contains background information including where Mental Health sits within the curriculum; how to manage sessions safely; differentiation for specific approaches including SEND. Read more and download the resources here.
Resources
We have a whole area of our website devoted to resources for use in school. You will also find further links and ideas for signposting to the wider school community.
The CIOS PSHE Curriculum was launched to prepare Cornish schools for the new statutory PSHE requirements introduced in the academic year 2020/21. The curriculum encompasses Emotional Wellbeing and the resources are available to Cornish schools through our training pages.
HeadStart Kernow in collaboration with other professionals, have developed a "virtual ring binder" to pull together resources to support the young people and families of Cornwall amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.
HeadStart Kernow have also developed an online resilience tool which provides a practical way for professionals to assess young people’s online behaviour and help them make decisions about whether that behaviour represents risk of harm.
The PSHE Association is highly recommended for up to date information, resources and also some training to support this area. Some access requires membership.
The Early Intervention Foundation provides evidence and advice supporting the use of effective early intervention to improve the lives of children and young people at risk of experiencing poor outcomes.
Time to Change - A website run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, which aims to change the way people think and act about mental health problems in England. There are resources for schools with everything you need to help start conversations about mental health at school, including assemblies and other materials, and advice on how to talk to parents.
Young Minds - Free, practical resources to help everyone in the school community step up and support pupils; including 360* Schools and Academic Resilience.
Cornwall Council have an excellent page offering advice and support if you have specific mental health concerns.
Staff Wellbeing
Good staff wellbeing creates an ethos of caring and compassion across the whole school community, promoting pupil wellbeing and attainment. The case for a focus on staff wellbeing goes way beyond staff retention and attainment but they are happy by-products! We value this aspect so much we have devoted a whole section of our resources page to staff wellbeing.
Don't forget to document your emotional health and wellbeing work as part of your Healthy Schools Award!