Social, Emotional and Mental Health support

Support for Emotional & Social Development

At Dene House Primary, we consult with a wide range of external agencies and we maintain a close working relationship in order to access the best professional advice to ensure the emotional and social development needs of SEND children are effectively met. We also work closely with the Local Authority, NHS Resilience Team and private providers of additional services, such as Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) School Nursing Service, Social Services and Medical Professionals. We aim to hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents can access easily, where they are comfortable in the school environment and pupil participation or pupil voice is sought whenever appropriate.

In addition to the external agencies that can help support children’s emotional and social wellbeing, in school, we also deliver a variety of pastoral interventions to support children’s emotional and social development. We also employ a School Counsellor and cognitive behaviour therapist that work with individuals and groups on a daily basis.

 We are an inclusive school that welcomes and celebrates diversity. All staff believe that children having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s well-being. We have a caring, nurturing team looking after our children. The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class so this would be the parents’ first point of contact. If further support is required, the class teacher liaises with the SENDCO for further advice and support.

We firmly believe at Dene House Primary that the most important part of behaviour management, is developing positive relationships with pupils, parents and carers. We strive to work in partnership with parents and carers, and share success and praise. We believe in developing classroom environments, to encourage positive behaviours, establishing rules and routines, and setting clear boundaries. To motivate and engage children, we believe in rewarding positive behaviours and using sanctions consistently, when negative behaviour is displayed.

After any behaviour incident, we take a restorative approach. We expect the children to reflect on their behaviour with an adult and/or peers. This helps to identify why the incident happened and what the children need to do differently next time to change and improve their behaviour.

Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis. Lateness and absence are recorded (with reasons) and reported upon to the Headteacher. Support is given through an incentive scheme where good attendance is actively encouraged throughout the school. We award children weekly, termly and annually on their attendance rate. Where attendance becomes an issue, we hold an attendance meeting and, if necessary, we seek support from the Attendance Enforcement Team