At Mosspits Lane, we understand that good relationships are the basis for all quality interactions between adults and children and between children themselves.  In order for children to feel confident to discuss any worries or concerns they have, we support them by developing trusting relationships and providing time to talk with class teachers, teaching assistants, senior leaders, our pastoral team and other members of staff throughout the school.  

Through the promotion of our school values within discussions, assemblies and day to day lessons, all staff help children to develop an inclusive, nurturing ethos, where they feel cared for and secure.

Our safeguarding recording system, CPOMS, helps our staff to share any changes in behaviour amongst children that might alert us to the fact that they need further support.  Discussions with parents and carers and regular communication through Class Dojo, means that the school can effectively work in partnership to help children thrive.  

As a staff body, we welcome conversations with parents about concerns they may have regarding their child and we know how important it is to work in partnership to overcome any worries or difficulties.  

As a school, we take opportunities to celebrate and explore themed weeks, such as Anti-Bullying week, Odd Socks Day, Children's Mental Health Week etc in addition to daily reference to our values.  

Each day, as part of the Restorative Practice based behaviour policy, children take part in 'circles', discussing feelings and thoughts with their classes, in order to help them all have a voice first thing in the morning.  Please see our Behaviour policy for further information on our approach.

Kooth is a free, online mental health tool for young people aged between 11 and 24.  It provides access to trained counsellors and regulated advice for children to access anonymously.  

Kooth says:

'1 in 5 children and young people suffer from mental health illness in any given year. At Kooth, we believe every young person has the right to thrive and to access high quality mental health care.

Kooth.com is commissioned by the NHS, Local Authorities, charities and businesses to provide anonymous and personalised mental health support for Children and Young People. With over 4000 logins per day, we provide end to end support whatever the need.'

From the same company, Qwell is available for adults to access free, confidential advice.  https://www.qwell.io/

Adults over 24 can talk to trained counsellors, join discussion boards and access information about a range of therapeautic content, community support and personal development tools.

Within school, Mrs. Theophanous provides excellent pastoral support 3 days a week.  She is available during the daytime on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.   Using resources to help children work through their worries, Mrs. Theophanous is an invaluable resource.  

School has access to Seedlings Play Therapists, through the Local Authority SEND offer.  Although the places are limited due to funding, children can be placed on the waiting list, whilst other approaches can be used, such as Kooth or Childline advice.

Our staff are accessing training on trauma and attachment informed practice this year and we hope to join cohort 2 of a project with the Attachment Research Community and Liverpool Virtual School, in order to continue to build and develop knowledge and understanding of supporting children that have experiened Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) to self-regulate and thrive.  ACES can include bereavement, deprivation, experience of domestic abuse etc.  

Adults working within school, and parents, can access training webinars and courses through Creative Education.  There are excellent courses available for parents, such as:

How to support children through grief and loss

Identifying the risks posed to children online

Simplifying ideas for championing empathy over punishment

How can parents empower girls to resolve friendship issues for themselves?

SEND and sleep issues 

https://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/available-courses/?_role=parents&_paged=2

Childline is always available for children and young people to access telephone or online support.  It is also a fantastic charity for parents to access information to help them to tackle any new situations that their child may experience.  For example, parents and children can gain ideas from the site's 'Calm Zone' - practical ideas for ensuring that children have coping mechanisms in staying mentally well.

There are helpful pages on the website on topical issues, such as how to approach conversations regarding worries about events in the news.

Childline has a specific section of its website for Under 12s to access, which has fewer pages and provides easier accessibility.

Each week, National Online Safety produces a new parent guide.  Each guide gives parents and carers a full overview of the knowledge they must equip themselves with, in order to keep their children safe.

We know that children accessing inappropriate content online can be affected mentally.  It is vital that all adults with responsibility for children are aware of the risks being posed by games and activities that children access. 

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/