EMOTIONALLY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS

We are currently in the process of applying to achieve an Emotionally Friendly Settings Status.

The Emotionally Friendly Settings (EFS) programme is a flexible, whole-school approach to improving children’s mental health and well-being.

The accreditation focuses on four key areas:

1. Staff Wellbeing and School Ethos
2. Classroom Practice
3. Assessing Children’s Needs
4. Supporting Individual Children

One of our key principles, here at The Friars Primary School, is to support the wellbeing of both staff and pupils. We aim to ensure that all children are happy, healthy and able to cope with everything that life may throw at them.  We promote and teach all pupils to be resilient, confident, have positive self-perceptions and appropriate coping mechanisms. We make sure that all pupils have access to a robust PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic) curriculum and RSE (Relationships & Sex Education).

By adopting a whole school approach, we can ensure that wellbeing is central to everything that we do.

As adults, we ensure that we develop our understanding of emotions, self-control, positive relationships and keeping our mind and body healthy, in order to support our wellbeing and therefore we can have the best impact upon the pupils we support. We recognise, however, that the mental wellbeing of both staff and pupils can change from day to day and that there are times in everybody’s life when a little extra help or support may be needed. Here at The Friars we have a supportive and nurturing system, the aim of which is to enable all individuals to flourish.

To support both staff and pupils’ emotional wellbeing we have implemented successful intervention initiatives such as: Nurture groups, a qualified art therapist, we have access to I-Reach CAMHS and we can also make referrals to core CAMHS.  We use assessment tools such as Boxall Profiles and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires. For staff we have an Emotional Health & Wellbeing Team (EHWB) and regular staff newsletters supporting staff wellbeing.

As a school we also seek advice and support from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), School Nurse, Speech and Language Therapists, Early Help Practitioners,  Paediatricians, the Primary Inclusion Team, the Educational Psychology Service and also Salford’s Learning Support Service. This helps to ensure that each individual receives the most rounded care possible.

Our EFS Champions are: Mr Earnshaw, Mrs Rowland & Miss Dicello.

Our school Special Educational Needs Coordinator is Miss Wellbelove.