At Cambridge House Grammar School, we believe the primary purpose of education is to awaken a love of learning in each of our young people, which will then carry on long after they have left us. A key priority for us is to ensure that each of our pupils is ‘happy’ in terms of their level of confidence and independence, has a desire to learn, and the resilience to do so. Ultimately, if this is to happen, we are aware of the need to support the well-being of each young person; as pupils who are unhappy or troubled will experience barriers to success in their learning.
We believe that being mentally healthy is about having the strength to overcome the difficulties and challenges we all face at times in our lives – to have confidence and self-esteem, to be able to take decisions and to believe in ourselves.
There are a number of ways for each of us to look after our mental health
- Looking after ourselves by eating and sleeping well
- Talking to our friends
- Sharing our feelings
- By participating regularly in exercise and activities
- Finding ways to relax – protecting time for hobbies
- Knowing where and how to access help
It is quite normal to sometimes feel worried, anxious or upset when things don’t go as we hope – everyone faces pressure in their lives at certain times and these can include:
- Looking after ourselves by eating and sleeping well
- Talking to our friends
- Sharing our feelings
- By participating regularly in exercise and activities
- Finding ways to relax – protecting time for hobbies
- Knowing where and how to access help
If someone is experiencing worries, anxieties and difficult feelings to the extent that they are seriously interfering with their everyday life, for instance:
- being able to study and go to school
- being able to eat or sleep as they normally do
- go out with their friends or take part in their favourite hobby
To support the development of mental health and well-being within our school, Sixth Form students had the opportunity to attend training and become Mental Health Ambassadors. They now work within school to promote positive mental health and well-being and combat the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
As a school we have also partnered with Inspire Well-being to become an Inspiration Point, ensuring that everyone within our school and local community has access to information about how to support their own mental health.
https://www.inspirewellbeing.org
Other sources of support include:
- Form Teacher
- Head of Year
- Head of Key Stage
- School Counsellor – appointments can be made on Mondays, 9.00 – 1.00 or there is an opportunity to ‘drop-in’ on a Monday at break time
- GP
To summarise our vision, we have created a Mental Health Charter, which is displayed prominently in our entrance hall. Members of our school and visitors are welcome to join with us in signing their name, and pledging to:
- Create an open and inclusive culture within our school which displays respect for those with mental ill-health
- Promote equality of opportunity, and challenge the stigma of mental ill-health
- Identify and provide sources of information and support regarding mental ill-health
- Support and work towards improving the mental well-being of everyone in our school community