Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Cambois Primary School, we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils, staff, and community.
Our aim is to foster an inclusive, nurturing environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. We believe mental health is as important as physical health and is integral to our ability to thrive. We promote mental health through a whole-school approach, integrating strategies for emotional wellbeing into our curriculum, daily practice, and ethos. Our school seeks to build resilience, develop emotional literacy, and provide early intervention for those experiencing mental health difficulties.
Good mental health and wellbeing helps children and young people:
- develop
- attend school
- engage in learning
- fulfil their potential
(DfE, 2024).
At Cambois Primary School we work closely with BeYou, a team part of Northumberland County Council's Emotional and Health Wellbeing Offer. BeYou have a strong reputation in Northumberland for having a collaborative and integrated local offer to support children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing across the county. This offer is delivered by a range of providers from both the statutory and voluntary sectors, in conjunction with services across health, education and children's early help social care.
Thrive Approach
At Cambois Primary we follow the thrive approach; a trauma-informed, whole school approach to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Thrive not only supports the social and emotional development of all children but also helps to manage dysregulated behaviour by using a positive relational stance with children, through play, creativity and the arts.
FRIENDS Resilience in School
Staff at Cambois are now trained in FRIENDS Resilience Programme which targets children of all ages.
What is it?
The FRIENDS Resilience programmes aim to build resilience and reduce anxiety for children and
young people now and across their lifespan. This is achieved through evidence-based cognitive
behaviour therapy programmes endorsed by the World Health Organisation. Each programme
is delivered over 10 one-hour sessions and two booster sessions. The courses are designed to
build life-long resilience in individuals, families, schools and communities through fun activities
in a supportive environment. The FRIENDS courses help guide the social and emotional
development of children, develop coping skills and aim to prevent anxiety. They help children
and young people build resilience, confidence, and emotional wellbeing which improves
learning and social outcomes in schools and families.
young people now and across their lifespan. This is achieved through evidence-based cognitive
behaviour therapy programmes endorsed by the World Health Organisation. Each programme
is delivered over 10 one-hour sessions and two booster sessions. The courses are designed to
build life-long resilience in individuals, families, schools and communities through fun activities
in a supportive environment. The FRIENDS courses help guide the social and emotional
development of children, develop coping skills and aim to prevent anxiety. They help children
and young people build resilience, confidence, and emotional wellbeing which improves
learning and social outcomes in schools and families.
Why is it useful?
Building Resilience is the focus of FRIENDS, on return to school it is likely all of our children and
young people will be encountering new situations and have experienced a range of different or
unusual circumstances.
The skills developed through FRIENDS can help children and young people better identify their
feelings by exploring their thoughts and experiences which helps them to find ways forward.
FRIENDS also helps children build/rebuild appropriate peer relationships and support networks
within school which further develops their confidence, support network and self-esteem.
The activities, which are all developmentally based on age, help the children and young people
to identify thoughts and feelings which may be unhelpful to them and choose more appropriate
behaviours and ways to respond to negative situations.
Building Resilience is the focus of FRIENDS, on return to school it is likely all of our children and
young people will be encountering new situations and have experienced a range of different or
unusual circumstances.
The skills developed through FRIENDS can help children and young people better identify their
feelings by exploring their thoughts and experiences which helps them to find ways forward.
FRIENDS also helps children build/rebuild appropriate peer relationships and support networks
within school which further develops their confidence, support network and self-esteem.
The activities, which are all developmentally based on age, help the children and young people
to identify thoughts and feelings which may be unhelpful to them and choose more appropriate
behaviours and ways to respond to negative situations.
The FUN FRIENDS element is currently being implemented within KS1.
The attached flyer below goes into this part of the programme further.