Personal Development

Personal Development 

Wellbeing & Mental Health
“Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
(World Health Organization 2014)

At Shelley First, we acknowledge the high importance of our pupils and staff developing and maintaining good mental health and wellbeing, as well as physical health. We are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. It is widely recognised that 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. At our school we know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. In 2021, we secured the Carnegie Mental Health Award (Silver) 

At our school we:
•    help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
•    help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
•    help children socially to form and maintain relationships
•    promote self-esteem and ensure children know that they count
•    encourage children to be confident and ‘dare to be different’
•    help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

We promote a mentally healthy environment through:
•    Promoting our school values and encouraging a sense of belonging
•    Promoting pupil voice and opportunities to participate in decision-making
•    Celebrating all achievements
•    Providing opportunities to develop a sense of worth through taking responsibility for themselves and others
•    Providing opportunities to reflect.
•    Access to appropriate support that meets their needs

We hope that this page is useful to our families.

We encourage parents and pupils with any concerns to speak to a member of staff.

Useful Links

British Values

The 4 Main British Values
Democracy:
Pupils, parents, and staff should have the right to have their voices heard. We have  pupil-elected school councils where class representatives raise issues and suggest ideas for improvement. In 2022-2022 we are also participating in a Trust Parliament. 
The Rule Of Law:
The importance of law and rules is taught and reinforced to teach students to distinguish between right and wrong. This helps children to take responsibility for their own actions. Key Stage 2 Students are taught the reasons behind rules and laws, how they govern and protect us, and the consequences of what happens when these laws are broken.
Individual Liberty:
The promotion of freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs in a safe environment is explained to pupils. Children are supported to understand that they have rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths or Beliefs:
Children are taught to show empathy and understanding of people from different backgrounds. Pupils are given regular opportunities to learn about different cultures and beliefs to reinforce messages of tolerance and respect. This allows pupils to understand and respect values different to their own.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning*
Pupils at our school come from a variety of backgrounds and families. We celebrate equality and diversity through a range of PSHE activities and through cross-curricular links with other subjects. Celebrating different families and tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying is crucial to making all children feel welcome, and enabling them to learn to accept others for who they are.
*Please note that there is an asterisk on LGBTQ as we are aware that there are other definitions of this.