Wellbeing

Your approach to wellbeing is inspirational, we chose the right school!

Quote from a parent 2023

At Bishop Gilpin we value the wellbeing of every member of our school community.  

We provide support for pupils, parents and staff individually, as well as group and whole class sessions for children. Over 60 families have been supported via our mental health and wellbeing therapist (Amy Stirling) with one family describing the change in their child as a ‘miracle’.  We also lead an NHS cluster to support wellbeing development in 15 other Merton Schools. 

If you would like to find out more, or access support, click on a link below:

School Support for Parents and Carers

• We aim for all our parents and carers to feel a deep sense of belonging to our school community, speak to a senior leader to see how we can help
• Our trained wellbeing therapist (Amy Stirling) supports parents and carers in 1:1 sessions 
• We host coffee mornings and workshops for parents/carers to learn about:
  • Anxiety
  • Low mood
  • Parenting skills
  • School pressures
  • Find out what's happening at our school and sign up for a session 
• In partnership with the NHS Educational Wellbeing Practitioners we offer:
  • individual/group work with children who experience anxiety or low mood
  • Educational workshops for children & parents about emotional wellbeing
  • 1:1 support for parents/carers through a series of 4-8 weekly online sessions

Help and Advice Beyond School

• Recommended Mental Health Support Services - Primary Children and their Families
• If you would like more information about our programmes of support for anxiety or
  challenging behaviour, please contact our Mental Health Lead  amystirling@bishopgilpin.org or email our NHS team: Wave6MertonMHST@swlstg.nhs.uk

• Reducing Parental Conflict 

  OnePlusOne provides evidence based resources that can be used by parents themselves or facilitated by practitioners to support reducing parental conflict.

  There are 3 digital programmes available:  

  Me, You and Baby Too  - helps new and expectant parents adapt to the changes that parenthood can have on their relationship

  Arguing Better - helps raise awareness of parental conflict and its impact on children. It gives parents the skills to cope with stress together and manage their conflict more constructively.

  Getting it right for Children - helps separating parents see how they are putting their children in the middle of their conflict. It helps parents to develop positive communication skills so that they can parent co-operatively and work out solutions together.

   Parent link - https://www.oneplusone.org.uk/parent-resources-for-england 

School Support for All Children

• We aim to help all our children feel a deep sense of belonging to our school community
• Our Relationships, Health and Character Development Curriculum helps children learn how to stay mentally healthy, including developing resilience and building healthy relationships.  The curriculum includes wellbeing and mindfulness lessons, lead directly by our trained wellbeing therapist
• We teach our children to recognise and understand the impact of their emotions through our caring approach to relationships, emotional regulation and Zones of Regulation 
• We encourage all children to share concerns with a trusted adult and use #Iwishmyteacherknewboxes if they prefer to share worries in writing
• Our library and classrooms books and resources reflect a diverse range of characters, authors, cultures so that children can identify with others who will share similarities with themselves. 

Additional Support for Children

• Our trained wellbeing therapist supports children in 1:1 sessions when appropriate
• We run small Emotional Literacy Support groups for children
• We provide additional training for teachers to provide additional support children in classrooms
• In partnership with parents/carers, we refer to children to specialist services as appropriate

If you would like support with the mental health of your child(ren) or yourself, please contact a senior leader, or our wellbeing therapist Amy Stirling via amystirling@bishopgilpin.org 

Community Views of Wellbeing at Bishop Gilpin

Parents/Carers surveys:

"The pastoral care at BG is excellent, and we are so lucky it is given such high priority, and that we have Amy in school." 

"It is a great school which promotes wellbeing of the children."

"BG creates an inclusive and encouraging environment. I think it is really positive how you approach discussions regarding mental health and am really pleased to have benefited from Amy’s input during our time at BG."

"Teaching staff are very quick to deal with problematic language/signs of bullying and are always available to talk. BG also creates a sense of fun, which is refreshing for a school. You can tell the children enjoy being there and have fun with one another and teaching/support staff."

Pupil surveys: 

"RHCD is fun and calming and I love Amy's workshops."

"I like it when Amy comes in, because she definitely helps me... the mindfulness classes have made me more confident."

"Our school does well by helping us to learn, to keep us safe and when we are depressed or worried we can talk to people like Amy."

"Amy and my teacher (Miss Olivares) make me feel safe at school. Also, I can rely on my friends to make me feel safe."

"The teachers make me feel safe and secure and we also have emotional support groups... Amy for example is the school therapist and helps children with any problems at home, or school and maybe even friendship problems."

Staff surveys: 

"Staff mental health and wellbeing is a school priority"

"SLT are very considerate of my wellbeing and have always been approachable when I am struggling, and will help with support and also practical solutions."

"BG go above and beyond to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff as well as pupils/families. SLT consider ways to support teacher development through CPD opportunities and always think of ways they can reduce teacher workload and stress while maintaining high standards across the school" 

Children and Families Services Employee:

"I said this several times but I feel I have to mention one more time how impressed and amazed I was with all you did for this child/family, as school definitely went above and beyond what one could expect."