Wellbeing

Balksbury Wellbeing Team

Wellbeing Leads: Miss Thompson, Mrs Quince and Mrs Farrell (DDSL, SMSC and British Values, Health and Wellbeing, Staff Wellbeing)

Mental Health Lead, Lead DSL & SENDCo: Miss Bodinham

Behaviour and Attitudes Leader: Mrs Sanderson

Community Support Leads: Mrs Grinham and Mrs Whatley (child, family and community support)

Balksbury Wellbeing Team Statement

Balksbury Pastoral Team's overall key aims:

To sustain a Federation where our children feel safe and secure and can grow within their Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) wellbeing, supporting them both inside and outside the classroom
To encourage pupils to recognise and reflect on our Learning Values and Code Of Conduct
To support the promotion of British Values
To ‘signpost’ families to outside services for appropriate provision and support
To champion staff wellbeing (led by Mrs Grinham and Mrs Whatley)

At Balksbury Federation we want everyone involved within our two schools to feel well supported. We believe that good pastoral support focuses on nurturing the individual. We aim to build trusting and empathetic relationships with all our children and their families. Our Balksbury Pastoral Team is made up of dedicated professionals. Together our team works with our children so they can lead fulfilling and balanced lives at school and beyond. All our staff model to children positive values including how to look after themselves and others, encouraging them to seek help, support or advice whenever they need it.

Pastoral care underpins personal development and we know from experience that with outstanding pastoral care, children feel they belong and their self-esteem is able to flourish because they feel valued and cared for.

Supporting the pastoral needs of children sometimes involves working with external agencies. In these situations we ensure that a confidential, professional, non-judgemental and sensitive service is provided.

The voice of our children as Balksbury Citizens:

Balksbury Federation understands the importance of enabling the voice of the child to be heard to promote safeguarding and well-being.

Examples of the Balksbury Pastoral Team’s work include:

Lunchtime self-referral drop-in sessions to talk to the Pastoral Team
Encouraging children to be part of a ‘talking Federation’ – we want our children to share their concerns at all times
An annual pupil questionnaire. Within this survey children respond to questions related to feeling safe at school/within the federation. The outcomes of these surveys are then used to inform interventions and practice within the federation to promote the voice of the children
Answering concerns from federated Worry boxes situated by both offices
A Federated Smart School Council
Supporting children who have been identified as vulnerable. The Pastoral Team will facilitate a Key Worker at play and lunch times. This ensures that the social and emotional needs of vulnerable children are being addressed consistently
Both schools run a lunch time Young Carers' drop-in session once a week
Both schools run a lunch time Force's drop-in session once a week

Support for Parents:

Examples of the Balksbury Wellbeing Team’s work include:

Providing a drop in for family support to talk to a Community Pastoral Support Lead
Providing a monthly parent support group
Providing joint parent and child support sessions for support with school life
Ensuring parents know that the Leadership Team (Headteacher and Deputy Headteachers) has an open door policy for parents
SENDCo support for parents
Transition support: entry into Year R, Year 2 to Year 3 and Year 6 to Year 7
Relevant links on the parent section of the website that signpost support

Feedback from parents who attended our first drop in support group:

' So lovely to chat and go feeling like I am floating - a weight has been lifted off my shoulders'

'Being able to feel free to talk knowing it is in confidence has been great'

For Staff:

Examples of the Balksbury Wellbeing Team’s work include:

Staff Wellbeing Champions who coordinate the federation's approach to staff wellbeing and ensures it remains on the agenda (Mrs Grinham and Mrs Whatley)
The Leadership Team (Headteacher and Deputy Headteachers) continually seeking ways of reducing workload through evaluation and reviewing practice and policy
The Leadership Team providing an open door policy for opportunities for staff to talk
The Leadership Team endeavouring to ensure that staff rooms are as comfortable as possible for break times, but also ensure a private space is provided for any individual who needs a moment of timeout space
The Leadership Team providing 'shout out spaces' in staff rooms where anybody (All staff, Governors, including parent messages) can thank a colleague for their work or support. This space will also be used to display photos of fun times working together
The Leadership Team providing key dedicated time within each term for reflection stops, or get together for social wellbeing 'coffee, cake and catch-up time' (CCC Time)
The Leadership Team 'signposting’ staff to outside services for appropriate provision and support
Ensure that staff have the Kaarp login for Hampshire staff discounts and benefits
Supporting staff who are returning to work from extended absence or managing health conditions with mutually agreed Occupational Health referrals
The Leadership providing supervision opportunities for staff when supporting children experiencing complex issues (including safeguarding, mental health and behaviour)

Oscar the Beagle

Oscar lost his brother this week and who better to help him with his bereavement than his friends at Balksbury. Our community welcomed him with open paws and allowed him to spend time within the school. Here he met all the children who made him feel so much better.

He was also able to help the children in Year 4 with their English learning. They produced some amazing information texts all about Oscar.

Oscar made himself available for children and staff to approach him when they felt they wanted to. The children learnt the correct safe way to approach and be around dogs whilst respecting his needs. Oscar was also able to share his calm, caring nature which helped support various children with their personal well being. He helped out when children were upset and encouraged them to be ready emotionally for their learning.

We look forward to more visits from dogs in the future.