Health and Wellbeing

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Staff wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff is crucial to a successful and healthy school. We offer a range of best practice articles and case studies focusing on supporting staff wellbeing and morale as well as pupils' mental health, wellbeing and happiness.

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Safeguarding leads and SENCOs working together

Safeguarding risks are often heightened when SEND is involved, with many overlaps between the two. As such, joined up working is key. Sara Alston looks at some key principles

How to be a safe adult for vulnerable students: Five Cs

Every child needs a safe adult, especially if they have faced trauma or are vulnerable. Dr Pooky Knightsmith describes the five Cs of being a safe adult, offering examples and resources

Protecting students from online sexual exploitation and abuse

Horrifying recent figures show the extent to which online sexual exploitation and abuse has proliferated since Covid lockdowns – and much of this material is being self-generated by the victims themselves. Elizabeth Rose explains what schools should be doing to protect children

Who is in charge of wellbeing in your school?

Staff wellbeing is the responsibility of everyone in your school – but how? Frances Robertson offers some ideas and reflections

School staffing: It’s time to take the menopause seriously

How does your school support colleagues who may be affected by menopause symptoms? Legal and HR expert Kelly Rayner offers some important advice and practical tips

Andrew Tate: Responding to misogyny in primary schools

The hate and misogyny of Andrew Tate has entered our classrooms and is reaching down into primary age. How can we respond? Lucy Emmerson urges us to consider how RSE tackles issues including gender, power, equality, respect, consent, and healthy relationships

Online safety: Moving beyond compliance

The challenges of recognising and responding to online safety concerns are far-reaching and complex. Laura McPhee discusses moving beyond compliance and developing a safeguarding culture and considers a case study of one school’s approach

At crisis point: Poverty in our communities

The cost-of-living crisis has not left many untouched and those working in schools are experiencing first-hand the impact it is having on families. Suzanne O'Connell speaks with three schools to find out what they are seeing and what they are doing to help

Are you really listening? Using listening and speaking skills to support wellbeing and learning

We are living in challenging times and young people are facing many stressors and threats to their wellbeing. Alison Woolf says that employing some simple speaking and listening skills can help our students

Lessons to learn: Keeping children safe from sexual abuse

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published its final report. What lessons can we learn and what can schools improve on when it comes to keeping children safe from sexual abuse? Elizabeth Rose advises

Staff wellbeing: Complete the stress cycle and avoid burn-out

Stress hormones have an important job to do, but they are not designed to stay in our systems permanently. Emily Kenneally offers seven ways to complete your stress cycle and three tips to avoid burn-out

Case study: A focus on connection, care and confidence

A sense of family and inclusion has been created at Whitefield Primary School via the use of its core values of care, connection, and confidence. Marie Beale explains

Supporting students who experience brain injuries

Thousands of children experience brain injuries every year and the impact on their education and wellbeing can be severe. Emily Morley, Dr Emily Bennett, and Dr Gemma Costello advise schools and teaching staff while signposting to a range of useful resources

Therapeutic classrooms: ‘The couch area is definitely their favourite’

This year, Shahana Knight is continuing her transformational therapeutic classroom work with a pioneering cohort of primary schools. This time, she visits Worsley Mesnes Primary to transform a year 5 classroom...

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Radicalisation and extremism: Prevent self-assessment tool

As the government launches a Prevent self-assessment tool and new guidance on responding to extremism, safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose offers schools a refresher and some pointers to ensure your safeguarding practice in this area is effective

Supporting pupils through yet another wellbeing crisis

The pandemic is receding, but the cost-of-living crisis is hitting children's wellbeing just as hard. A whole-school approach to mental health is helping pupils at Rose Lane Primary in a disadvantaged area of London. Katie Parks explains

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Black and female: Adultification, bias and racism

Black children are more likely to be excluded from school and face systemic adultification, bias and racism. Our response to this often focuses on boys, but Orlene Badu looks at the barriers faced by students who are both female and of black heritage...

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Four ideas to ensure high school attendance

School attendance is a priority for all schools. No matter what your context, it is vital that you do not leave attendance to chance. Paul K Ainsworth considers four ideas to try and ensure high attendance

Trauma-informed leadership: A framework for everyday practice

Many teachers are familiar with the tenets of trauma-informed practice, but what do these look like from a whole-school leadership perspective? Dr Pooky Knightsmith outlines five principles

Emergencies in school: Preparing for the unknown

All education settings are required to have emergency plans in place. These are designed to help you respond effectively to unforeseen incidents and a range of materials have been published to assist you with this. Suzanne O’Connell takes a look

Searching, screening and confiscation: Dos and don’ts

How can schools safely approach searching, screening and confiscation? Safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose looks at what to do and what to avoid

Cost of living crisis: Conversations with colleagues

The cost of living crisis is biting hard. Pupils, families, and school staff are all suffering. In two articles, Sean Harris considers how to support both pupils and school staff. He concludes here with a focus on how we might respond with colleagues who are struggling

How to create a whole-school culture of mental health

How can senior mental health leads build a team and deliver a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing provision? Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers general principles of practice as well as 26 specific suggestions

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Making school uniforms affordable: A case study

The introduction of a new uniform at Race Leys Junior School could have presented a financial burden to parents. Head of school Sue-Ellen Lamb explains what they did to ensure this wasn’t the case

Cost of living crisis: Conversations with pupils

The cost of living crisis is biting hard. Pupils, families, and school staff are all suffering. In two articles, Sean Harris considers how to support both pupils and school staff. He begins by focusing on how we might respond with our pupils and their families

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