Wellbeing
Learning for wellbeing provides pupils with the skills and knowledge to be physically and mentally healthy and have the stamina to sustain work.
We support the learning process by focusing on the emotional wellbeing and physical health of our pupils.
With the additional support he has received, [student] has had a much more positive school experience in the past 12 months. He is more enthused, has built strong relationships with peers and staff, and is making good progress in his studies.’
Parent of Year 10 student
To enable pupils to be successful in their learning, our programme focuses on:
- Healthy eating, with the emphasis on fresh produce and a balanced diet. We recognise that some young people will require modified diets or have particular food preferences such as deconstructed pasta. Water and fresh fruit are available at morning and afternoon break times (Please note: We cater to all allergies, intolerances and medical requirements our pupils may suffer from).
- Expanding the range of foods that a young person will consume/eat, particularly working with the parents/carers of those individuals who have developed a restricted diet as a result of sensory or health difficulties.
- Working with pupils to compile individual exercise programmes to ensure regular movement breaks throughout the school day, with periods of focused physical exertion to assist them in maintaining a healthy body.
- Providing pupils with strategies for managing times of increased anxiety through the use of calming/relaxation strategies, enabling them to incorporate these as an element of their toolkit for learning, which will support their personal learning style.
Physical Wellbeing
Sarah, our school nurse, supports the medical needs of all our pupils and provide training and support to our staff to ensure our pupils receive excellent care at all times.
Our nurse has a flexible approach and works hard to ensure excellent communication and support with all external agencies, including other health providers such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) hospital consultants, GPs, dietitians and other agencies as required.
Our nurse plays an active role in health promotion by taking lessons, leading assemblies, liaising with parents on pupil’s individual health concerns or simply being available to our pupils.
Online Wellbeing
The well-being of our pupils is of vital importance to us at all times, including when they are online at school and elsewhere. We have found the following of use, and you may do to.
Thinkuknow (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online)
Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
LGfL(support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
UK Safer Internet Centre (tips, advice, guides)
Emotional Wellbeing
At LVS Hassocks we believe that every young person is unique and has their own set of strengths and challenges. We work hard to make sure that we know every young person uniquely, so that we know the things that they are really good at, and things we know they find trickier.
We have a team of Mental Health 1st aiders to support young people when they are struggling when at school.
At LVS Hassocks we believe that all behaviour is a form of communication. We know that our young people are going to have challenges with social communication, and that social communication gets more complex as you get older. As well as this, we are aware that our young people are experiencing more complex emotions and working out how to deal with this. We therefore have a number of strategies and programmes in place to support them:
Zones of Regulation are used as a whole-school policy to increase:
- Emotional literacy and understanding
- Understanding of interoception (how your body responds to emotions)
- Awareness of how you are feeling and why
- Responding effectively to challenges and problems
- Self-advocacy
- Understanding of yourself and of the school community
Social Thinking is also used for certain year groups to increase understanding of how the social world works and to start to make sense of it and navigate it effectively.
Comic Strip Conversations and Social Stories are used often to problem solve and work out social rules, why a situation went wrong and understand the rationales behind social rules and behaviours of others and themselves.
We also believe is analysing behaviour so that we can understand the function of a young person’s behaviour as well as working out what skills we need to support them with going forward.
We offer a personalised approach for all young people so we can support them to get their needs met. Each young person has a ‘wellbeing plan’, which based on the Zones of Regulation gives each young person strategies for different emotions so that, with the support of an adult, they can use the strategies to get back into the right zone for learning.