Mental Health and Emotional Well Being

At Northaim Primary School we recognise that good mental health is as important as good physical health.   Our pupils are taught self-care techniques, including recognising and managing their emotions, exercise,  relaxation and how to build relationships through a rich and varied curriculum.  We teach our children how to help others with their mental health and wellbeing in age appropriate ways. 

Our aim is to help develop the protective factors which build resilience to mental health problems and be in a school where: 

• all pupils are valued
• pupils have a sense of belonging and feel safe
• pupils feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems
• positive mental health is promoted and valued. 
• bulling is not tolerated

As well as lifetime wellbeing there are immediate benefits to positive emotional health. Children are happier, make friends and sustain relationships, are aware of and understand others, face problems and setbacks and learn from them, enjoy their play and leisure time and, most importantly for schools, they learn better.

At Northiam we are very lucky to have an extensive  site which allows us to offer both Farm School and Forest School.

Forest School

We are very lucky to be surrounded by beautiful woodland and areas of outstanding natural beauty and making use of this to support children’s learning and emotional development is part of our curriculum and ethos.

We believe in the philosophy that underpins the Forest School movement where every child is encouraged and inspired to develop their personal, social and emotional skills through participation in tasks and activities which are motivating and achievable. For more information please visit our Forest School page.

Farm School

The school is very lucky to have an expansive site this allows us to have the Northiam Primary School farm.   The Farm school has working allotment which is used to grow an assortment of fruit and vegatables.  We are very lucky to have a number of animals as part of the Farm School, we currently have 7 chickens which lay eggs and  two goats called Flash and Felix. 

All produce that is produced on our site is then used in the Farm Kitchen rotation of Friday Focus.  

For more information please visit our Farm School page.

 Art Factory

Art is core subject of our Friday Focus and is a good source of  activities.  Our Art teacher Heather Stuart is our mental health lead and is trained in as a mental health champion.

Well Being Warriors

 The Wellbeing warrior programme teaches growth mindset. In growth mindset, people believe they can improve their intelligence and talents through purposeful effort, accepting guidance and support, and dedication to improvement without comparison to others. People with a growth mindset believe anything Is possible over time. Crucially, those who possess a growth mindset have a happier and more successful life.