Conscious Community
At the Federation of the Church Schools of Shalfleet and Freshwater & Yarmouth, we are committed to building a truly Conscious Community.
We expect all members of our community to take responsibility for this in creating a Respectful, Resilient culture which is underpinned by strong, trusting Relationships.
This approach requires commitment and reflection for ALL members of the community; please see the Conscious Community information attached.
Click for our Community Action Plan
Click for our Conscious Community Plan
ELSA Support 
ELSA support is an Intervention, just like a numeracy or a literacy Intervention.
The role is to support children in school, to understand and regulate their own emotional wellbeing whilst also respecting the feelings of those around them. Emotional literacy explores children’s Emotional Intelligence, working on the 5 key elements; Social Skills, Empathy, Self-awareness, Self-regulation and Motivation. We do this through all kinds of activities. We also look at friendship & relationship skills when needed. The 5 elements are simplified for individual age and ability to give maximum effect and understanding.
The ELSA will usually meet with a child once a week for 40mins to an hour, starting at half a term up to the full term. However, depending on the need of the child this could be adapted. During this time we hope to have given the child better understanding of their own emotions and feelings and of those around them, giving them the tools to manage any difficult situations.
We are very lucky at both schools in the federation to have a room which is very comfortable, relaxed, and most importantly a safe place for the children to explore their emotions.
You can find out more about ELSAs at http://www.elsanetwork.org/
“WE ALL ENCOUNTER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TEST OUR LIMITS FROM TIME TO TIME. IF WE ARE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHEN WE ARE BECOMING LESS REGULATED, WE ARE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TO MANAGE OUR FEELINGS AND GET OURSELVES TO A HEALTHY PLACE. THIS IS THE GOAL OF THE ZONES OF REGULATION.”
– LEAH KUYPERS, CREATOR OF THE ZONES OF REGULATION
For more information go to – https://www.zonesofregulation.com
Click to download – Zones of Regulation Visuals
What does that mean for our federation?
Every class in the federation states that ‘Mistakes are Expected, Inspected and Respected’. We teach this approach through encouraging a growth mindset which builds upon a child’s resilience. In addition to this, we, as a federation, teach the zones of regulation to all children, to support them in understanding and regulating their emotions and behaviours.
This is the quality first aspect of our pastoral care and every teacher has been trained in delivering the Zones of Regulation in class to ensure that they are able to support the children and families in their care. Having this open dialogue about our emotions, unlocks the fear of being told off for heightened responses and instead gives ownership to the children to be able to find their own way to a resolution.
Additional Pastoral Support
Along with the ELSA support from the two ELSAs across the federation we also offer pastoral support. As church schools, we feel it is important to look to God for support and guidance and through the existing expertise within the federation are able to offer bespoke pastoral support, with the bible teachings embedded for any family who feels that this is the support they would like for their children.
We are also incredibly fortunate to have the Mental Health Support Team (MHST) working with us. The MHST consists of the clinical lead, team managers, supervisors, and Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs). The team will work with schools to support parents whose children are struggling with their thoughts and feelings.
Overseeing the pastoral and wellbeing support across the Federation are our Inclusion Lead, Mrs Georgina Westhorpe and our Inclusion and Family Support Officer Mrs Heather Eggleton; there are both trained as our Senior Mental Health Lead Practitioners through the DfE quality assured training.
If any concerns are highlighted about a child, either through the parents, class teacher or other member of staff we use a collaborative approach to discuss the needs of the child and who would be best placed to support them.
Wellbeing Websites
Action for Children – https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/
Protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support.
Anxiety UK – https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
Whether you have anxiety, stress, anxiety-based depression or a phobia that’s affecting your daily life, we’re here to help you; fully supported by an expert team of medical advisors.
Childline – https://www.childline.org.uk/
Childline is there to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. You can talk about anything. Whether it’s something big or small, their trained counsellors are there to support you.
Education Support – https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/ The only UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff in schools, colleges and universities.
Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ Since 1949, the Mental Health Foundation has been the UK’s leading charity for everyone’s mental health. With prevention at the heart of what we do, we aim to find and address the sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.
Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/ We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
Papyrus HOPELINEUK – https://www.papyrus-uk.org/ Are you, or is a young person you know, not coping with life? For confidential suicide prevention advice contact HOPELINEUK.
Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org/
Everyone experiences difficult feelings from time to time, and often we don’t know what to do to help us get back on track. Anyone can contact Samaritans, no matter how old you are.
SHOUT – https://giveusashout.org/ If you are struggling to cope and need to talk, our trained Shout Volunteers are here for you, day or night. Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service.
Young Minds – https://youngminds.org.uk/
Provide young people with reassurance and advice to help them make positive choices for their mental health and know what to do next if they are struggling.
