Why Supporting Pupils’ Mental Well-being is our Number 1 Job

Monday 3rd February 2020

This week children’s mental health charity Place2Be is running #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. This year’s theme is ‘Find Your Brave’. 

Here at The Mead, supporting our pupils’ mental wellbeing is central to all we do.

We started the week with an assembly talking about this important issue with the whole school. Class teachers will be exploring the subject further during PHSEE sessions over the week.

Headmaster Andrew Webster believes supporting pupils’ mental wellbeing is ‘job no. 1’, as he discusses here (article originally published in Index Magazine):

Supporting pupils’ mental wellbeing is fundamentally ‘job no. 1’ as nobody can learn and succeed if they don’t have emotional health. If a child walks into a learning environment with the wrong mindset then even the most outstanding provision becomes redundant.

This philosophy has been at the heart of my leadership since taking the helm at The Mead. We have increased our timetabled Personal, Social and Emotional education and we champion a ‘Growth Mindset’ culture where children embrace challenge and lose the fear of failure.

More than anything however, we believe that it is through honest, supportive and sincere relationships that humans find their emotional resilience. The Mead has long been regarded for its pastoral care and there is no magic formula here. It is simply personified in the dedication of all of our wonderful staff, willing to go the extra mile, to know and care for every child and to always have the time to listen.

Being a small school under one roof we have a level of care that permeates throughout the building and it is the first intangible commented upon by most prospective parents. No policy or initiative can replace the most vital things you can give to children to support their mental health and development, your time and respect. At the Mead they have both in bucket loads.

Andrew Webster, Headmaster, The Mead School