Wellbeing at RSM
At Reigate St. Mary’s we prioritise children’s happiness and wellbeing by providing comprehensive individual support. From mental health awareness to holistic wellness initiatives, we are committed to nurturing a positive and supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Like you, we want your child to feel loved and to know how to love others. It is belonging and relating to others that fosters self-esteem, brings happiness and makes a life worth living. Your child’s potential will only be fully realised with these cornerstones of wellbeing. Everything else hinges on it. We all want good grades but we want these with good mental health, confidence and resilience.
How do we ensure this happens? Ultimately, it’s all about being attuned to your child’s needs. The 5 pillars of our approach are:
Emotional literacy
We want to make sure your child is aware of feelings and feels comfortable talking about them. To encourage this we ask your child to register his or her emotions at the start of each day, or if they change. It might sound small, but if we know your child is feeling tired or angry we can pre-empt any difficulties or worries through a conversation. Our regular surveys allow your child to raise issues they don’t feel brave enough to talk about. Self esteem blossoms when a worry is shared, taken seriously and resolved.
Time
We want your child to avoid becoming one of society’s ‘hurried and worried’. That’s why we give your child a ‘bubble’ with their name on; handing it to the teacher signifies the need for time and attention. We build in time for staff to follow up worries with your child and discuss them with you, just as we allow children the time to solve problems and make choices themselves.
Space
The links between green space and wellbeing are well documented, as is the importance of having ‘space’ in your day. We have a beautiful green campus which provides fresh air and areas to build dens, roll down hills or just potter about with friends at break time.
Tools
From as early as age 2 and a half, we will start to equip your child with the tools to navigate socially and emotionally through life. From regular mindfulness minutes and ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’, to the Jigsaw scheme of work used in PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Emotional learning) throughout the school, we designed everything to strengthen these skills. We follow the restorative approach to behaviour, which focuses as much on feelings and repairing relationships as on what happened.
Support
The right infrastructure is vital. We have close links with a number of external organisations if additional support is required: ‘Learning Space’ might help your child with a solution-focused approach to a specific challenge; ELSA trained staff might work with your child if they’re finding life difficult socially. If your family experiences loss or bereavement, we might call on an organisation called ‘Rainbows’. The School Counsellor is another option and we regularly organise external speakers for staff and parents on how best to support our children and ensure they feel loved.
Pupils demonstrate high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem as a result of the individual support they receive that enables them to improve their own learning and performance.
ISI Inspection Report Feb 2023
Both my children love going to school. That’s all I can ask for really isn’t it?- happy, secure children who are taught kindness, independence and self belief. Their peers have the same values and it’s wonderful to see them flourish and make friends and genuinely have a lust for learning that I’m sure I never gained from my primary education!
RSM Parent 2022