Health and Wellbeing

Staff wellbeing and mental health

Brian Taylor looks at new recommendations from NICE about the mental health and wellbeing of your staff and discusses how Employee Assistance Programmes may be able to help

The CAMHS crisis

Tackling the silent majority of unaddressed CAMHS cases has become a challenge for many schools. Daniel Sobel discusses two particular problems

Supporting refugees in your school community

In some parts of the world, going to school means putting your life at risk and as a result many child refugees in the UK will carry with them traumatic experiences from the past. Suzanne O'Connell looks at the process of becoming a refugee and how schools can help

Questions about milk

What are the rules on providing milk to pupils? Amy Cook answers some of the most commonly questions from school leaders

Research into the impact of the funded Bikeability scheme

The government-funded Bikeability scheme trains children to be confident and safe cyclists and has so far reached 1.5 million young people. Claire Hodgson looks at how the initiative engages with schools and reports on research into its impact

Self-harm: What should school staff be aware of?

Self-harm is an increasing problem among children and young people and schools are on the front-line. Child and educational psychologist Dr Joanna Mitchell offers some advice on spotting the signs and how to respond

A political focus on SRE

Sex and relationships education has always sparked debate and it featured in the run-up to the General Election. Suzanne O'Connell asks where schools stand on this sometimes-contentious, yet increasingly essential subject – and also looks at what constitutes good SRE

Tackling homophobia in primary schools

The 10th annual LGBT History Month has just come to an end. Alex Newton, from charity Stonewall, offers primary schools some best practice advice for tackling homophobia and celebrating difference

How many young carers are there in your school?

Statistics suggest that there are far more young carers in our primary schools than we might imagine. A new law is aiming to help better identify and support our young carers. Suzanne O'Connell explains

Ofsted and e-safety in schools

It is vital that schools get their e-safety policies right. Geoff Millington offers advice for schools on creating an effective e-safety policy and outlines what Ofsted inspectors are looking for

British values: What are England's schools doing?

British values are nothing new – this is the message Headteacher Update is hearing from headteachers. Call it community cohesion, SMSC or religious education, most primary schools are already teaching British values. Now they must make sure inspectors see it too.

Resilience education

The role of schools in fostering resilience in their pupils is being increasingly discussed by politicians and educators. Headteacher Rose Threlfall offers her view

NFER Research Insights 2015

Headteacher Update's Research Insights articles, published in conjunction with the NFER, offer in-depth, evidence based advice, guidance and best practice covering a wide range of areas relevant to primary school leadership and education. Download the latest articles from 2015 and 2014 for free ...

The term-time absence dilemma for school leaders

It is a tough decision for headteachers to make – whether to authorise term-time absences or not. We look at what ‘exceptional circumstances’ mean and how headteachers are dealing with the new registration regulations

Driving school meal take-up

There is more to the School Food Plan than universal free school meals. Jo Wild reports on a government-funded project offering support to boost school meal take-up

SEN: A focus on psychology

Frederick Bird School is a Nasen Outstanding Schools thanks to its SEN provision, which includes the extensive use of psychologists. In this profile of its work, we talk to staff and the psychologists to discuss how they meet the needs of all pupils

Tackling bullying: Knowledge is power

Information, both about national trends and about what is happening in your own school, is a powerful and crucial weapon in the fight against bullying. Dorothy Lepkowska looks at how schools are keeping on top of the problem

Acting on referrals – an escalating role for schools

Reporting child abuse is not yet mandatory. As ministers debate the pros and cons, Ofsted raises its expectation of schools. How much should the designated person do when it comes to making sure social care take action? Suzanne O’Connell reports.

Supporting delivery of universal FSMs

Media attention may have died down since September, but the challenge of delivering universal free school meals to all of key stage 1 continues. Jeremy Boardman of the Children’s Food Trust discusses the practical support available to improve your meals s

Strategies to support vulnerable children

Faced with a large proportion of both Pupil Premium children and pupils who have SEN and disabilities, Harbour Primary and Nursery School has used a range of strategies – not least parental engagement – to meet these children’s needs.

CAMHS under pressure

A recent survey of school leaders shows that many are concerned about their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, but that delays to CAMHS are preventing them getting quick and effective help. Amy Cook reports.

Helping pupils to handle anxiety and stress

The pressure that our primary school children can face as they grow-up is increasingly being recognised as something that schools must play a part in tackling. Sal McKeown reports from two schools in Coventry which are using different approaches.

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Headteacher Update is the only magazine delivered directly to every primary school headteacher in the UK. It is published six times a year, at the beginning of each term and half-term, to keep headteachers up-to-date with everything going on in primary education.

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