Here at Sutton Bonington we place great importance on the wellbeing and happiness of our children. Where children are unhappy, this affects their ability to learn and there a number of ways we support the mental health and wellbeing of our children. Our senior mental health lead is Miss Chubb.

In school, we use ‘zones of regulation’ to support children with managing their feelings and emotions. This uses colours to help children explain how they feel and provides some solutions to help them move into the green zone. Should you have any concerns about your child’s mental health or wellbeing, your first port of call should be your child’s class teacher who will be able to discuss ‘zones of regulation’ further with you including how this can be used in school and supported at home.

We also have a trained ELSA (emotional literacy support assistant), Miss Hart. Miss Hart works with groups of children and individuals in the outdoor cabin to provide support around a range of items including anxiety, managing emotions, bereavement and friendships. This work is very successful and provides children with a safe space in which to talk and explore their feelings. Most children have a set of approximately 6 sessions with Miss Hart.

We are also able to signpost parents to a range of other services which may be able to support your child’s mental health and behaviour. These include:

  • Nottinghamshire Healthy Families Team – an integrated service for children, young people and families which brings together care provided by health visitors, school nurses, the Family Nurse Partnership Programme (for first time teenage mums) and the National Childhood Measurement Programme. There are 20 locally based ‘Healthy Family Teams’ across Nottinghamshire which are central to the programme. Children, young people and families will receive care from this service from before birth to their late teens when they need it, regardless of where they live in Nottinghamshire. Click here for more information
  • Small Steps – a service providing early support and evidence-based interventions to families of children and young people displaying behaviours that cause concern or challenge.
  • BeUNotts – a free, Early Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Support service for Children and Young People in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Click here for more information.
  • Nottinghamshire Family Service and the Early Help Team – the family service provides targeted early help support for families with worries, concerns, behaviours and conflict to help resolve significant problems. Click here for more information.