Pastoral Care
Meet our Pastoral Care Team
In our aim to support children’s emotional needs, we are lucky to have an excellent Pastoral Care Team.
Mrs Best
Headteacher
Mr Peebles
Mental Health Champion
Mrs Woolley
SENDco
(Special Education and Disability coordinator)
.
Mrs Pointon
HSLW
(Home School Link Worker)
Rainbows – supporting children with separation and bereavement
‘Going the Extra Mile’ Supporting our Young Carers
Mrs Logan
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant
ELSA
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Emotional Well-Being
Recognising the proven importance of mental health to learning, we started the ELSA program here at St Polycarp’s in 2017.
Emotional Literacy Support Assistance is about giving our children the language and tools they need to express and manage their feelings in a healthy way.
ELSA is not counselling but offers a stepping stone forward for a child struggling with anger, anxiety, bereavment/loss, self-esteem, friendships or a difficult event. Meeting our ELSA (Mrs Blagden or Mrs Logan), children can access a trusted, impartial adult in a confidential way and a safe place (The Nest). Generally 1:1 but sometimes in small groups, the ELSA Sessions usually last 20-40 minutes over 6-8 weeks. Mrs Blagden and Mrs Logan have been trained through the ELSA Network by Educational Psychologists. Ongoing supervision by an Educational Psychologist is provided termly to support them.
Seeing the success of the ELSA program, over time we have developed a dedicated safe space – The Nest. With the kindness of donations we continue to build a relative resources bank. Each session is planned and tailored around the learning preference and aptitude of the child.
Your child’s Class Teacher is responsible for ensuring your child’s needs are met and for keeping you up to date in terms of progress. There may be times when either their teacher or you, their parent/guardian, may see benefit in referring them for ELSA.
Working together we can help our children find healthy coping strategies for difficult emotional challenges and help them be the best they can be!
Read our ELSA leaflet
Other organisations which may help…
HSLW
Home School Link Workers
HSLWs work in partnership with parents and carers, pupils, school staff, voluntary and public sector services to promote the well-being of children and families through provision of early support at challenging times.
Our HSLW, Rosemary Pointon, has a background in nursing, social care and community work, a Masters Degree in Public Health and is also trained as a Play Therapist. She has been at St Polycarp’s for 14 years and is well networked with local and national charities and organisations. She is available to meet with you to provide direct support, and/or referral to specialists, in a wide range of situations including...
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- Parenting struggles
- School refusal
- Transitions, bereavement and family separation
- Family mental or physical ill-health
- Domestic abuse
- Parental issues with drugs and alcohol
- Financial difficulties, debt, benefits, Foodbank vouchers
- Housing needs
- Early Help Assessments
- Applications to local charities for funding
- Assistance in completing forms, including Disability Living Allowance,
school application forms, transport applications etc. - Signposting to a range of statutory and voluntary agencies and making appropriate referrals
- Attendance at appointments with parents
Our HSLW has the following additional roles at St Polycarp’s School
- Play Therapist (PTUK trained)
- Rainbows course facilitator - a 16 week programme of emotional support for children who have experienced bereavement or parental separation. Rainbows
- Lead for Young Carers running the ‘Going the Extra Mile’ Club
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Trained Parenting Puzzle course facilitator
You can contact our HSLW directly by email or you can request for her to contact you via your child’s teacher.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
By 2025, the government aims for every school and college to have a designated wellbeing or mental health lead, we are proud at St Polycarp’s that we have had a Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead in place since 2020. In this role it is my responsibility to:
- oversee a whole-school approach to wellbeing
- provide staff with knowledge and confidence to understand and recognise signs of poor mental health in pupils and know where to go with any concerns
- oversee the provision the school gives to pupils with mental health difficulties
- manage how staff are supported with their own mental health
At St Polycarp’s we see how valuable this is and how important it is to act now.
- We are passionate about ensuring that all aspects of our children’s lives are considered; intellectually, morally, socially and emotionally. At St Polycarp’s we take the wellbeing of our children very seriously by taking a whole-school approach as they face the various challenges that modern life presents, ensuring that mental health and emotional resilience is discussed within the curriculum
I am very aware that for our children to flourish their emotional state is key. Working together – Parents, Teachers and Support Staff – we can give each other the strength needed to see through the bad days… and feel more joy in life. As a result, our children will see how successful relationships and empathy can give everyone hope of a better life experience. We will always have an eye on ways we can alleviate stress and I look forward to working on it with all of our Poly’s family.
To assist with this we have a team of Year 6 trained Mental Health Ambassadors working with each year group, alongside several staff members who are trained Mental Health Responders. Additionally, we have a number of staff throughout the school that are trained Mental Health and Wellbeing Responders.
We know, having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The NHS have expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
By clicking on this link and answering 5 quick questions you will get a free plan with tips to help you deal with stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, boost your mood and feel more in control. Additionally, there are a number of useful links below:
Barnardo's - Mental Health & Wellbeing offering mental health services across the UK to help children, young people, and families when they need us most.
Anna Freud transforming mental health by working with infants, children, young people and their families, their communities and professionals to deliver timely evidence-based support for all.
E-wellbeing as a range of practical tools, advice and guidance to help teachers, therapists and parents/carers support the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
Mindworks, Surrey , the new emotional wellbeing and mental health service for children and young people in Surrey.
Finally, we are always open to new ideas and thoughts on how we can continue to move forward in Wellbeing and Mental Health.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Martyn Peebles
National Educational Leader in Mental Health
EBSA
What is EBSA?
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is a term used to describe the difficulty children and young people experience in attending school due to emotional reasons, such as stress, anxiety and/ or feeling overwhelmed. The following guidance will help to explain what EBSA is, and how you can work with St Polycarp's to support your child. Advice has been provided by Surrey County Council Local Offer.
Stages of Change (EBSA Supporting Document)
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) | Surrey Local Offer
