Published on Monday 28 October 2019
Staff and pupils from Corpus Christi primary school are celebrating as they become the first school in the area to achieve The Sandwell Well-being Charter Mark.
‘The Sandwell Whole School Approach to Well-being’ is a pilot programme which is dedicated to improving the social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) of everyone in the school community.
The BCP Council Educational Psychology Service have delivered the scheme to two secondary and two primary schools across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the last academic year.
Corpus Christi is the first school to achieve the mark and is amongst 90 other schools in the country who have rolled out the scheme since its development in 2015. The programme consists of two main elements; an audit of the well-being provisions that are already in place within the school and then an action plan which is used to address any gaps or areas for development.
The project provides schools with the opportunity to:
- gather the views and opinions of all pupils, staff members and parents
- work with and support staff to ensure that they reflect on any changes
- demonstrate commitment to positive mental health and well-being
- ensure that SEMH is developed across the entirety of the school
Following the success of the pilot programme, plans are in place to offer the scheme to more schools in the area over the next academic year.
Councillor Sandra Moore, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, BCP Council, said: "It is great to see just how committed our schools are to providing well-being initiatives to their communities and I am extremely proud of Corpus Christi for achieving this. Positive mental health is so important within the education system and it is essential that schools develop and act on the Sandwell provision to ensure that it benefits all staff, pupils and parents. I look forward to seeing this successful programme rolled out across all schools in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch."
Headteacher, Declan Goodwin, Corpus Christi School, said, "Why did we go for the award? Well, we know we provide an excellent level of education for our children and when our children move onto secondary school, we know we have not only prepared them academically but also emotionally, socially and spiritually. This award acknowledges our excellent practice in developing children’s skills of emotional self-management."