Hill View Infant Academy

Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health

Here at Hill View Infant Academy we are fully committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our children and families. We have a dedicated member of staff to support children and parents/carers within school.

Mrs L Gibson - Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead/ Family Liaison Officer

My role is to provide help and support to parents/carers with any issues that you may have supporting your child either in school or at home. I work to promote parental involvement in school, can signpost to external agencies out of school and support children in school. I can provide information and advice to parents and investigate any concerns raised. I work with you, the teachers and senior leadership team to help support your child to learn and enjoy school.

Within school I am also the lead practitioner for mental health and wellbeing, offering 1-1 support for children and group wellbeing interventions that focus on building confidence, positive relationships and understanding and dealing with emotions. These sessions are carried out in our Therapy room which has been designed and created to be a bright and cheerful. Activities such as Lego, Art, Stories and circle time allow the children to focus and share their feelings, build new and positive relationships and gain confidence.

If you feel you would like to discuss your child's wellbeing with a member of staff, we are always here to listen to and support your concerns and questions. Please speak to us if you need help.

There are many online websites which offer free vital support and advice for parents regarding their children's emotional wellbeing and mental health. We recommend the websites below. Click the logos to access the websites.

Are you a parent or carer who is concerned about your child? Or perhaps you just want some hints and tips on parenting?

MindEd for Families has online advice and information from trusted sources and will help you to understand and identify early issues and best support your child. Please click on the icon below for more information.

If you have concerns about the mental and emotional health of your child, support is available from the Kirklees branch of CAMHs, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Please click on the icon below for more information.

Mind offers information about where children and young people can get support with a mental health problem. Click their logo below to go to their website.

The NSPCC’s Underwear Rule is discussed when needed in our PSHCE lessons. During these discussions we will aim to teach the children pupils the following important safety skills without giving explicit information or telling scary stories. We will be teaching our pupils the NSPCC’s Underwear Rule, using the ‘PANTS’ acrostic, which is like a green cross code for staying safe from sexual abuse. (We will not use this term with the children).

PANTS stands for:

• Privates are private

• Always remember your body belongs to you

• No means no

• Talk about secrets that upset you

• Speak up, someone can help

The lessons introduce a range of activites, all delivered in a way that’s fully age-appropriate.

These include:

• “appropriate” and “inappropriate” touching

• your child’s right to say no to things that make them feel upset or uncomfortable

• who your child can turn to if they ever feel upset or worried.

If you would like to know more about the NSPCC’s campaign and see how you can help keep your children safe in partnership with our school, more information including a video can be found at nspcc.org.uk/underwearrule or simply click the NSPCC Pants icon above. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Hill View Happy News

Click here to see our brand new newsletter for the children.

Rainbow Room

Take a look at our brand new Rainbow Room. This room has been created and designed to feel bright and cheerful. The purpose is to have small group activities focusing on mental health and wellbeing.