Pastoral Provision
At Woodlands School we offer a range of support for pupils, families and staff. These include a number of therapies, interventions, curriculum and access to outside agencies for support. Woodlands School currently has a Pastoral team who support pupils across the school.
Mental Health and Wellbeing at Woodlands
At Woodlands school we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.
At our school we:
- help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- help children socially to form and maintain relationships
- promote self-
esteem and ensure children know that they count - encourage children to be confident and be proud of their differences
- help children to become emotionally strong, have emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
Support for Staff at Woodlands
At Woodlands we have incoporated Classdojo as part of our communication between home and school. We support parents having the right to inform staff about any concerns they have and any strategies to support their child/ren. Classdojo also offers up videos to support a positive mindset, growth mindset and resilience strategies. If you require any help in regards to Classdojo please contact your Class Teacher for more information.
We have produced a communication in print script for staff and also parents/carers to use to support a child to help reflect safety on experiences and have a consistent approach to how they are asked.
At Woodlands we conduct termly reviews of the Pupils voice and we do this through a questionnaire, we have a variety of versions to support the pupils communicational needs and social and emotional development.
Nurture Provision
At Woodlands school we have been fortunate to evolve our practice to include Nurture provision through the Orchard (Nurture Base). Nurture groups are a short-term, focused intervention for children with particular social, emotional and behavioural difficulties which are creating a barrier to learning within a mainstream class.
Each group consists of between 6 to 10 children, normally from Years 1 to 3, led by a nurture group teacher and classroom assistant. Children attending the nurture group remain an active part of their main class, spending appropriate times within the nurture group according to their need, and typically return full time to their own class within two to four terms.
Nurture groups assess learning and social and emotional needs and give help that is needed to remove the barriers to learning. The relationship between the two nurture staff is always nurturing and supportive, providing a role model for children. Food is shared at ‘breakfast’ or ‘snack time’ with much opportunity for social learning, helping children to attend to the needs of others, with time to listen and be listened to.
As the children learn academically and socially they develop confidence, become responsive to others, learn self-respect and take pride in behaving well and in achieving.
Nurture support is not limited to the nurture group, as all schools will embed the nurturing principles and practice at a whole school level, providing appropriate support for all pupils attending the school.
The Nurture Base staff include;
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Lisa Pallister Teaching Assistant |
Julie Walker Teaching Assistant |
Attachment Awareness Project
The Attachment Aware and Trauma Informed School Project (AAS) is coordinated by the Warwickshire Virtual School and supported by the Educational Psychology Service.
The focus of the project is on whole school training (this includes teaching, non-teaching and all allied support staff, including office staff, caretakers, school governors etc).
The key aims of the project are:
- Raising awareness and increasing understanding of the role of attachment and trauma in children’s education and strategies to better address their needs;
- Developing staff confidence and skills to address the needs of children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences/trauma and attachment difficulties;
- Promoting the development of relationships in school between adults and children/young people, with the emphasis on building positive relationships;
- Reducing exclusions from school and improving attendance;
- Improving educational progress and wellbeing of children.
Protective Behaviours
At Woodlands we have Protective Behaviours as part of our daily currciulm, ethos and culture. Protective Behaviours is a safety awareness and resilience building programme which helps children and adults to recognise any situation where they feel worried or unsafe, such as feeling stressed, bullied or threatened; and explores practical ways to keep safe.
Early Help, The Children and Families Front Door and Children with Disabilities Team (CWD)
Some staff at Woodlands have been trained to support in Early Help intervention. This is support given to a family when a problem first emerges. It can be provided at any stage in a child or young person's life. More information on this service can be sought from any member of the Woodlands Pastoral Team.
Thrive
Thrive is a therapeutic approach to help support children with their emotional and social development. The Thrive approach offers practical strategies and techniques and is built around online assessments which identify children's emotional development and provides action plans for their individual needs. Parents/Carers can complete their own version of the assessment alongside a Thrive Practioner and make a home action plan to support with development at home.
Mental Health and Wellbeing at Woodlands
At Woodlands school we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.
At our school we:
- help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
- help children socially to form and maintain relationships
- promote self-
esteem and ensure children know that they count - encourage children to be confident and be proud of their differences
- help children to become emotionally strong, have emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
Support for Staff at Woodlands