At Oathall we are wholly committed to the promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing of all our staff, students and parents. We aim to achieve this through a whole school approach that minimises the stressors that lead to anxiety, provides support to those who may suffer from mental health related conditions, and educates all in how to lead a positive lifestyle in order to maximise physical, mental and social well-being.

Oathall are working in partnership with Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools, the NHS and West Sussex Mental Health Support Teams in Schools to strategically deliver our whole school approach to the mental health and wellbeing of our stakeholders. We are working towards the ‘Wellbeing Award for Schools’.

Our whole school approach can be broken down into key elements:

Support for our students

  • We have 12 pastoral leaders who are key members of staff in liaising with parents and outside agencies such as CAMHS, Youth Emotional Support (YES), and 5 of these are non teaching pastoral specialists who are available to students all day The pastoral system and the role of the form tutor enables positive relationships and creates the first line of communication
  • Student Mental Health Ambassadors. This is a student run network aimed to offer peer to peer support for our students
  • PSHE Programme which covers topics such as anxiety, self-esteem, relationships and managing stress
  • PE Programme that encourages and educates about the importance of leading a healthy active lifestyle and its impact on wellbeing
  • A tutor programme that has dedicated ‘Wellbeing Days’
  • Student wellbeing tracker at KS3
  • Student wellbeing Google Classrooms sharing resources with students on how to manage their wellbeing
  • Circle time each week during Tutor time to encourage conversations and ‘check in
  • 40 Staff trained in 2021 – Raising Awareness: Supporting Mental Health in Schools
    Student Council
  • We offer an alternative curriculum to suit our learners’ needs which engages them in learning and improves their attendance.
  • Student Mental Health Toolkit
  • Links to resources and strategies document

 

Support for our staff

  • Wellbeing activities including staff fitness, staff tennis and staff yoga
  • Free access to the onsite fitness suite
  • Regular review of workload – staff surveys (e.g remote parents evenings)
  • Oathall Community Wellbeing Policy
  • 8 qualified Adult Mental Health First Aiders
  • Staff voice meetings
  • Two well being notice boards in the staffroom

 

Work with parents and external agencies

Culture and Ethos

  • School Behaviour Policy
  • Oathall Community Wellbeing Policy
  • Leadership opportunities
  • Rewards System
  • Enrichment – programme
  • House System
  • Wellbeing Wednesdays in the library
  • Annual Days of Awareness
  • Wellbeing displays
  • A positive classroom climate