Well-Being
Well-being
At Abbotskerswell Primary School we aim to support the wellbeing of our children, parents and staff in a range of ways:
Mental Health Lead, Kevin Martin
This role involves developing a whole-school approach to promoting better mental health and wellbeing for all staff, children and parents as well as creating a culture of openness when talking about mental health. I liaise with different people from across school, The Local Authority and Nationally: our Inclusion Leader and SENDCo’s (Mr Chidler) role is to provide specific early intervention for children and their families and liaise with staff and professional agencies in the best interest of our community.
Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision
A key focus for schools across Devon over the past year has been strengthening what’s known as Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision (OAIP). This term refers to the inclusive strategies and practices that should be available for all children and young people — including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
OAIP involves simple, effective adjustments to everyday classroom practice and school life that are “helpful to all, harmful to none, but crucial for some.”
At our school, we continue to work hard to develop and embed our OAIP offer in line with the 10 areas of the Devon OAIP framework. These include: Leadership & Culture, Relational Practice, Teaching & Learning, Learning Environment, Staff Knowledge & Skills, Assessment & Planning, Attendance & Belonging, Transition, Working with Parents and Working with Children.
Over the next few newsletters, I look forward to sharing some of the great inclusive practices happening across our school as part of our OAIP journey.
Mr Chidler
Lead for Inclusion & SEND
Mental Health and Wellbeing Events
Friday 10th October 2025 – World Mental Health Day
W/C Monday 10th November 2025 – Anti-Bullying Week
W/C Monday 9th February 2026 – Children’s Mental Health Week
W/C Monday 9th February 2026 – Online Safety Week
W/C Monday 11th or 18th May 2025 – Mental Health Awareness Week
Useful Websites and Information for Parents
Common feelings and mental health symptoms, how to cope, and where to go to get help.
Mindfulness exercises to use with children. We use this in school so children are used to it!
More mindfulness activities
The-expert-guide-to-help-your-child-with-anxiety
A guide for parents to help children understand, cope and become strengthened by their experiences of anxiety at a young age.
A useful site for schools, families and young people.
A charity that supports children with bereavement.
Enabling young people to reach their own potential.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Support
10 a day choice towards balancing our mental health
Problematic headaches – Children and Family Health Devon
MHST PINs Project film (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools)
Staying well during your exams: Top tips
Support videos
The Mental Health Support Team in Schools (MHST) have our own Mental Health Support Team videos and playlist on DPT’s YouTube Channel.
Lumi Nova
Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is an engaging child-led, parent/guardian supported therapeutic intervention that can be used on most smartphones or tablets.
It facilitates graded exposures (the active ingredient of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with psychoeducation to empower 7-12 year olds with mild to moderate needs to learn to self-manage fears, worries and anxiety.
It is practical, age appropriate, non-stigmatising, encourages self management and provides user progress and health outcomes data in real time to authorised professionals.
For more information, click here.
Referral Criteria Traffic Light System (Who do we see/What can we support with)
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Green |
Orange |
Red |
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EMHPs/CWPs can work with individuals/groups to provide interventions in cases of…. |
EMHPs/CWPs MAY work with individuals/groups to provide interventions in cases of…. |
EMHPs/CWPs CANNOT work with individuals/groups to provide interventions in cases of…. |
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Behavioural difficulties – identification and support with CYP or brief parenting support. These include supporting regulation and understanding of irritability , anger, frustration. |
Behavioural difficulties, identification and support with CYP or brief parenting support, which may include Parent-Led interventions supporting moderate disruptive, confrontational, or controlling actions. |
Conduct disorder, severe anger presentations where there is complexity, risk to others and significant risk management. |
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Training parents and teachers to support interventions with children |
Training parents and teachers to support interventions with mild/moderate mental health needs. |
Training parents and teachers to support interventions with significant levels of co-morbidity, complexity or risk. Treatment of parental mental health/wellbeing. |
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Low mood |
Irritability/ anger as a symptom of depression. Promoting self-esteem, increasing motivation and engagement for children/young people. |
Chronic depression, severe depressive episodes. |
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Anxiety, worry management and avoidance, mild social anxiety or health anxiety |
Anxiety disorder symptoms resulting in moderate impact on functioning or mild/moderate levels of risk. |
Chronic anxiety and severe anxious episodes resulting in severe impact on functioning or high levels of risk. |
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Emerging phobias and phobic responses displaying typical fight, flight, freeze adrenaline responses |
Complex/specific phobias such as, agoraphobia, vomit or needle phobias. |
Phobias resulting in severe impact on engagement or participation. |
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Obsessive, intrusive or ritualistic thinking patterns that could be considered an emerging obsessive compulsive disorder |
Mild/moderate obsessive and compulsive symptoms, not exceeding 1 hour/day. |
Obsessive-compulsive disorder exceeding 1 hour/day or presenting with severe impact on functioning. |
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Panic-like symptoms or panic attacks |
Young people displaying panic symptoms that may be in the context of neurodiversity or other mental health need. |
Chronic panic and anxiety episodes or high levels of risk. |
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Thoughts of self-injury, risk assessment. Support with alternative coping strategies. Young people with history of self-injury but not active. |
Self-injury not requiring significant medical attention, e.g. first aid, safety planning and support with healthy coping alternatives. |
Severe and active self-injury, requiring hospital assessment or significant medical treatment. High risk of serious harm to self, others or serious intent or planning to end life. |
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Lifestyle management e.g. sleep hygiene, healthy eating etc. |
Sleeping difficulties e.g. in the context of anxiety or other mental health difficulty. |
Longstanding, debilitating sleep patterns or physical sleep abnormalities. |
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Individual problem solving, improving self-esteem and motivation. |
Supporting mild to moderate emotional dysregulation, impacting on interpersonal relationships e.g. friendships. |
Systemic or relationship problems – counselling is best practice for interpersonal dynamics |
Abbotskerswell