Hello, my name is Polly Long and I am the Wellbeing Leader for our school and nursery.

My role is to support children, families and our wider school community with emotional wellbeing and mental health. I work closely with children, families and staff to identify and reduce barriers to learning and help children feel safe, supported and ready to learn.

We recognise that children learn best when their emotional needs are understood and supported. My aim is to ensure every child feels listened to, valued and able to ask for help when they need it.

Helping every child to feel safe, happy and ready to learn

At Bapchild and Tonge, we believe that children’s wellbeing is at the heart of learning. When children feel safe, understood and supported, they are better able to learn, develop positive relationships and enjoy their time at school.

We recognise that every child is different and that children may experience worries, big emotions or difficult times for many different reasons. Our aim is to create a school environment where children know that their feelings matter and that there is always someone they can talk to.

We take a whole-school, nurturing and trauma informed approach to supporting children’s emotional wellbeing.

We help children to:

• Understand and name their emotions.
• Recognise when they are becoming overwhelmed.
• Develop strategies to manage big feelings.
• Build positive and supportive relationships.
• Develop confidence and resilience.
• Talk about worries and ask for help.
• Understand that making mistakes is part of learning.
• Develop independence and self-esteem.
• Feel a sense of belonging within our school community.

We focus on connection before correction, recognising that children need to feel safe and connected before they can be ready to learn.

We provide a listening ear for children who may be experiencing worries, friendship difficulties, changes at home, anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties or other challenges that may affect their wellbeing.

Support might include:

• Individual check-ins.
• Emotional wellbeing activities.
• Small-group work.
• Support with friendships and relationships.
• Regulation and calming strategies.
• Worry-management strategies.
• Support with transitions and changes.
• Liaison with parents and carers.
• School based therapeutic interventions.
• Working with outside agencies where appropriate.

Staff work closely together to make sure that children's needs are understood and that strategies are consistent across school. We know that children cannot always manage their emotions independently. Adults play an important role in helping children to co-regulate.

Our classrooms provide opportunities for children to use appropriate regulation strategies, such as movement, sensory activities, breathing exercises, quiet spaces and time with a trusted adult.

When children are worried

Worries are a normal part of growing up. Sometimes, however, worries can become bigger and start to affect a child's attendance, friendships, learning, sleep or enjoyment of everyday activities.

If your child is worried about something, please encourage them to talk to a trusted adult.

At school, this could be:

• Their class teacher.
• A teaching assistant.
• Wellbeing Leader
• Another adult they feel comfortable talking to.

If you are concerned about your child's wellbeing, please speak to us. Working together with families allows us to understand what a child is experiencing and consider how best to support them.

Children's voices matter

We believe that children should be active participants in decisions about their wellbeing and we have a Children's Wellbeing Team.

We give children opportunities to tell us:

• What they enjoy.
• What they find difficult.
• What helps them.
• Who they feel safe talking to.
• What they would like adults to understand about them.
• What they think would make school feel easier.

Useful resources for families

We will continue to add resources and information to this page to help families support children's emotional wellbeing at home.

If you have concerns about your child's wellbeing, please talk to us. We would always rather know about a worry early so that we can work together to support your child.

Every child matters. Every feeling matters. Every child deserves to feel safe, valued and understood.

Whole school interventions

Zones of Regulation

Regulation​ is something everyone continually works on whether we are aware of it or not. Children and adults can be in situations where our limits are tested and therefore become less regulated with our emotions. The programme organises, feelings, emotions, states of alertness and energy levels into 4 different colours which are classed as zones. We use displays of the zones for each child in class to use and this allows them to identify their zone which alerts a staff member who can then offer an opportunity to discuss and support. We also offer a set of sessions with a child to work on strategies to help with emotional regulation.  A parent/carer can join the session for the last part to support a collaborative approach.

We are able to offer a range of evidence based interventions such as:

ELSA

ELSAs are Emotional Literacy Support Assistants. They are teaching assistants who have received specific additional training from educational psychologists from whom they receive on going supervision following training. Their role is to support children and young people in school to understand and regulate their own emotions whilst also respecting the feelings of those around them.

Mrs Nicola Smith is also a trained ELSA.

Drawing and Talking

Drawing and Talking Therapy is the number one alternative to CBT and direct talking therapies, that can often be confronting or limiting in the processing of pain or trauma. As an attachment-based therapeutic intervention, Drawing and Talking Therapy is designed to complement CAMHS and other specialist therapies. The sessions are weekly and follow a 12 week framework.

Mrs Natasha Hoult is also a trained practitioner

Drawing and Talking - Sandplay

Sandplay is an intervention which makes use of a sandbox, toy figures, and sometimes water, to create scenes of miniature worlds that reflect a child’s inner thoughts, struggles and concerns. 

Trauma Informed Practice

As an Advanced Trauma-Informed Practitioner, I have specialist knowledge of how trauma and adversity can affect children's emotional wellbeing, behaviour, relationships and ability to learn.

My role focuses on supporting recovery, healing and resilience. I provide 1:1 sessions for children who may need additional emotional support, creating a safe and trusting space where they can explore their feelings, experiences and worries at their own pace.

Through trauma-informed, relational and therapeutic-informed approaches, I support children to develop emotional regulation, confidence, self-worth and coping strategies, while helping them understand that their experiences do not define them.

I work closely with children, families and staff to recognise strengths, build positive relationships and create environments where children feel safe, connected, understood and valued.

The aim is to help children move from simply coping to recovering, developing resilience and feeling able to thrive.

Therapeutic active listening conversations

Sometimes a child might just need a chat, an outlet or ask for some advice. We offer a safe and secure place for them to feel heard and acknowledged.

If you would like more information on the provision we offer, please email polly.long@bapchild.kent.sch.uk or call the school office on 01795 424143