Westmorland Primary School 

has met the AcSEED criteria for emotional wellbeing and mental health support, and has therefore been accredited with The AcSEED Award. 

Renewed in 2024

Assessment Observations

Since your last application, the AcSEED review team were particular impressed by:

1. Continued investment in CPD including MHW topics (and also for Teaching Assistants).
2. Attendance vending machine.
3. PHSE Newsletter published to parents, and parents involved in PHSE curriculum.
4. Significant investment in further MHW staff training.
5. Pupil access to private therapists through MABLE, and a specific classroom for therapy sessions.
6. Increase in extra-curricula activities aimed particularly at health and wellbeing.
7. New parental engagement officer to work with families.
8. More hours available from the staff/parent counsellor.
9. New MHW displays.
10. Family Hub on site with signposting for parents.
11. Staff commitment to pupil wellbeing through attending meetings during school holidays.
12. ZARACH bed scheme indicates breadth of wellbeing thinking by the school.
13. Full time SENCO to develop training and MHW provisions.
14. Continued focus on staff wellbeing (hopefully the activities won’t become too dangerous!).
15. LPPA Award demonstrating focus on building strong relationships with parents.
16. Continued focus on promoting a strong wellbeing ethos throughout the school.

Previously ....

The AcSEED review team were particularly impressed with:

• Excellent range of Mental Health and Wellbeing training undertaken (and further planned) by a range of school staff.

MHFA and ELSA trained staff.

• Good focus on continuous improvement in wellbeing training and provisions.
• Dedicated wellbeing governor, whose extensive knowledge and experience is being utilised effective in contributing to the school’s wellbeing programme.
• Comprehensive, innovative, and well structured wellbeing policy that is easily found on the school’s website.
• Use of CPOMS.
• All teachers trained in Social and Emotional Mental Health targets.
• Involvement in Brinnington-Werneth children’s social care pilot scheme.
• Daily scaling scheme.
• Children’s mental health worker available one day a week to work on therapy plans.
• Provision for wider services such as Occupational Therapist and Educational Psychologist.
• Worry boxes and ‘Ask it basket’.
• Parent workshops to provide guidance on supporting their children’s wellbeing.
• Wellbeing display in staff room to support upskilling.
• Good focus on staff wellbeing, including workload and motivation.
• Dress down Fridays.
• Processes in place to recognise and support pupils and parents with long term mental health conditions.
• Mindfulness activities.
• Wellbeing display conveniently located to provide pupils with easy access to wellbeing guidance and information.
• Mechanism to refer children to a wide range of external agencies and services.
• Good range of quiet spaces equipped to support a range of wellbeing needs.
• Highly and meaningfully responsive to feedback from pupil voice.
• Wellbeing provision map with clear categorisation of support that is individualised, targeted, and universal.
• Monitoring of intervention effectiveness.
• Range of counselling and psychology referral options available.
• High staff awareness of the links between learning and poor mental health.
• Good awareness that for many children school will be a ‘safe place’ to seek support for their mental health and wellbeing.
• ACEs training.
• Counsellor available to support staff as/when needed (including rapid support if required).
• Staff access to training/CPD opportunities.
• Valuable information on wellbeing services and signposting is provided on the school’s website.
• Weekly parenting drop-ins.
• Highly focused on pro-actively supporting children and their families through the difficulties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.