Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing

At Oasis Academy Clarksfield we believe that good social, emotional and mental wellbeing can create the foundations for healthy behaviours and improved educational attainment. A child’s emotional health and wellbeing influences their cognitive development and learning as well as their physical and social health and their mental wellbeing in adulthood. Promoting positive mental health is embedded throughout our wide, varied and inclusive curriculum; giving children many opportunities to develop positive mental health.

We use Oldham's whole school approach, 'Supporting Young Minds Through Tough Times' to review and plan our practice and work closely with families, outside agencies and the children themselves to promote effective emotional health and mental wellbeing awareness, guidance, support and intervention.

Universal	Selected	Targeted
PSHE and circle time Progression in vocabulary so children have the vocabulary to talk about their feelings P4C as a vehicle in a range of lessons School fairs (winter, spring and summer) Staff trained in ACEs Staff trained in Suicide Prevention Therapeutic classrooms research-based practice Sports Apprentice to run sports clubs over lunchtime to increase physical health Tremendous Tuesdays Student Leadership	‘Book in a Box’ Breakfast Club Timetabled ‘teacher talk’ time ELSA group Emotional Literacy Worry boxes Worry poster with QR code Pastoral lunchtime sessions in ‘The HIVE’ to target specific needs MIND sessions Pastoral Lunch Time Club 'Drawing and Talking' intervention 'Starving the Anxiety Gremlin' intervention 'Starving the Anger Gremlin' intervention	IntraQuest external play-based therapy Healthy Young Minds CAMHS Early Help

At Oasis Academy Clarksfield our provision is constantly evolving. Currently we encourage daily physical activity through a range of sports and games at lunchtimes and Tremendous Tuesdays each Tuesday after school. We celebrate our successes in a weekly whole school assembly, host children’s yoga club and encourage participation through Commando Joe character formation programme. 

Trauma Informed Practice

Our vision is to provide a safe space for everyone, whether you are a child, parent, member of the community or member of staff. 

We aim to be a trauma informed school and a mentally healthy place.  This means we want to support people before they develop mental health problems - to catch them as they are falling not as they have fallen.  Towards this aim we strongly endorse the statement in the Government Green Paper December 2017 Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision, “ There is evidence that appropriately-trained and supported staff such as teachers, school nurses, counsellors, and teaching assistants can achieve results comparable to those achieved by trained therapists in delivering a number of interventions addressing mild to moderate mental health problems (such as anxiety, conduct disorder, substance use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder)”. We are appropriately training our school staff to take on this task.

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

Where children have suffered abuse and neglect, or other potentially traumatic adverse childhood experiences, this can have a lasting impact throughout childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. It is key that staff are aware of how these children's experiences can impact on their mental health, behaviour and education. All staff at Oasis Academy Clarksfield are trained in ACEs to ensure we are fully equipt to support all children, no matter what their experiences.

Oasis Clarkfield’s lead teacher for emotional health and mental wellbeing, and your first contact for any questions or issues is our Senior Mental Health Lead, Miss Morrish (Deputy Principal). Our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant is Miss Nichola Beswick.