“Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

(The World Health Organisation definition of mental health)

At Wynndale, we are committed to ensuring that pastoral care sits at the heart of all we do. One of our key aims is to provide a safe, nurturing and happy environment where everyone feels valued and supported. We are committed to promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being, and to recognising early changes in behaviour or signs of emotional distress so that support can be offered at the right time.

During their time with us, we support our children to develop a wide range of emotional and social skills. These include recognising and understanding their own feelings, managing emotions in a positive way, building self-esteem and confidence, developing empathy and kindness towards others, forming healthy relationships, problem‑solving, and developing resilience when facing challenges or change. We believe that by embedding these skills during the primary years, children are better prepared with lifelong strategies to support their mental health and emotional well-being.

We strongly believe that when children feel happy, secure and emotionally supported, they are better able to learn, achieve and succeed. By prioritising positive mental health and emotional well-being, we help our children to flourish both at school and as they grow into the future.

Our Pastoral Team

Our team is led by Mrs Taylor, our Whole School Pastoral Lead, alongside Mrs Kitts, our Pastoral Support Worker. They are supported by other trained members of staff across the school who work with children through a range of pastoral support and intervention programmes.

Our Pastoral support at Wynndale aims to:

• Provide caring and responsive support that meets the individual needs of all children, helping them to develop the skills they need for life.
• Support children’s social, spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
• Create a calm, secure, and nurturing environment where children feel valued, confident, and encouraged to grow academically and socially.
• Reassure parents and carers that their children are supported within a safe, inclusive, and caring school community.
• Encourage pupils to recognise, reflect upon, and live our core value of Kindness in their everyday actions.
• Work in partnership with parents, school staff, wider support services, and other schools to ensure continuity and positive outcomes for every child.

The Role of our Pastoral Support Team at Wynndale

The Pastoral Support Team works in partnership with parents, carers, staff and external agencies to support pupils’ well-being and ensure pastoral needs do not become a barrier to learning and development.

The team’s responsibilities include:

• Working alongside parents/carers to identify and address pastoral concerns that may impact a child’s emotional well-being, learning or development.
• Supporting school staff to ensure effective pupil care.
• Providing specialist pastoral support for individual pupils, offering a safe space to listen and talk about issues such as:
  • Self-esteem and confidence
  • Bereavement and loss
  • Managing emotions and behaviour
  • Anxiety and worries
  • Family separation
  • Developing social skills and friendships
• Responding promptly and sensitively to pastoral issues as they arise within the school environment.
• Meeting with parents/carers to discuss concerns and agree supportive strategies for their child.
• Signposting families to appropriate external services and agencies to ensure further support where needed, and supporting with referral processes etc.

Mrs. Taylor also leads our daily indoor lunch club, our holiday club provision and supports breakfast club too. 

Contacting the Pastoral Team

Families can contact Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Kitts in school, either by telephoning the main school office on 01623 479001 and asking to speak to them, or by emailing our dedicated pastoral email address: pastoral@wynndale.notts.sch.uk

Children can access pastoral support in a number of ways. In addition to being identified by school staff as needing support, or by parents contacting school, children can ask for support themselves by using our school 'Time to Talk' box or by using the 'Worry Monster' on the school website. These communication platforms are checked daily by the pastoral team, and staff talk to children as soon as possible. 

Pastoral Interventions

As a school, we offer a range of pastoral interventions that support children's mental health and emotional well-being. The interventions currently on offer include:

Links to websites for support