Supporting pupils’ emotional wellbeing
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Information about the school
Woodlands Primary School is in Upper Cwmbran in Torfaen. There are 342 pupils on roll. This includes 41 part-time pupils in the school’s nursery class. The school organises pupils into a learning base for pupils with complex needs, and 11 classes, five mixed age and six single age. Health visitors are based in the school and there is an Integrated Children’s Centre on site.
The three year average for pupils eligible for free school meals is around 28%. This figure is above the Welsh average of 18%. Nearly all pupils come from homes where English is the first language. The school has identified approximately 21% of pupils with special educational needs. This is equivalent to the Welsh national average of 21%.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
The school is proactive in supporting pupils’ wellbeing, and very aware of the potential wellbeing issues that some pupils may face.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
The school provides a comprehensive range of strategies to support pupils’ wellbeing from preschool to Year 6, including support to develop a child’s emotional wellbeing, resilience and perseverance. This helps to support the child, for example, to cope with trauma, and there is a network of support for the whole family when dealing with difficult circumstances. The school applies different techniques to support pupils’ emotional and social development. Pupils are further supported by tailored programmes to develop their self-esteem and social skills, to help them manage their feelings and to promote empathy. Good use is made of external agencies to further support this work and provide intensive support for specific pupils as required. Families are supported from the time their children are babies and throughout their school life, with a combination of advice, training, and signposting through strong links with external agencies. Older pupils are encouraged to ‘self-refer’ or raise concerns about issues with their friends. This has enabled the school, for example, to support pupils with anxiety or self-harming issues. This is further enriched with the opportunity for pupils to practice meditation and relaxation techniques. Equally, families are encouraged to seek help from the school through the variety of events, for example enabling the school to support families with housing issues and free school meals. In addition, the school uses social media effectively to support families living in poverty by providing regular, updated information on how to access support and advice.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The school notes measurable improvements in attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and pupil achievement. A few examples are:
- A group of boys who were continually getting into trouble on the yard were given specific intervention in the form of social skills, familiarisation with playground rules through small group play and taking responsibility for younger, more vulnerable, pupils. As a result, through gradual reintroduction to the yard followed with support and close monitoring, their behaviour improved, leading to fewer serious incidents and improved progress in their learning and wellbeing.
- A pupil who was taught out of class in his previous school showed high levels of anxious behaviour. Often, this resulted in serious incidents requiring intensive nurturing support. On entry to the school he consistently received a warm welcome by all staff and would have some social time ensuring that he was in the right frame of mind to enter the class. He was provided with a safe space in class for anxious moments. Mindfulness activities were used regularly. In addition, restorative justice, social stories and growth mind-set approaches were used to follow up on any serious event. As a result, he is now mainly taught in class and any incidents are diffused quickly with little impact on the organisation of the school. He is on track to achieve the expected level at end of key stage phase.
- Five children who were reluctant to come to school were given morning nurture sessions during breakfast club and their interests were used as incentives. As a result, their attitude to coming into school and their attendance have greatly improved.
- Six families who came to the school for help to manage their children’s behaviour at home reported a notable improvement after accessing support and following the advice offered. External organisations supported the families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Visual timetables were made for the home and a person-centred planning approach was used to enable parents to support their child.
How have you shared your good practice?
Elements of practice has been shared with a number of schools across the local authority and further afield.