Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Our Ethos

At Ringmer Primary and Nursery School, mental health and emotional wellbeing are a central part of everyday school life for both children and staff. We actively promote positive emotional, physical and mental wellbeing and seek every opportunity to equip our children with the skills they need to stay healthy and resilient throughout their lives. The ability to recognise, understand and regulate emotions is a vital life skill and supports children to feel safe, confident and ready to learn.

Strong, trusting relationships are at the heart of our approach. Staff work closely with children to support both their academic progress and emotional development, ensuring that individual needs are recognised and responded to promptly. Mental health and emotional wellbeing are embedded within our wellbeing curriculum, which supports children to develop self-awareness, empathy, coping strategies and positive relationships.

We work collaboratively with external professionals to strengthen our provision, including the Mental Health Support Team (MHST), led in school by Shelley Little, and Me and My Mind, who provide parent/carer workshops. early intervention, guidance and support for children and families.

Our inclusive approach ensures that mental health and emotional wellbeing support is closely linked with provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who may be vulnerable or require additional pastoral support. Emotional wellbeing is recognised as a key factor in enabling pupils to attend regularly, engage positively in school life and achieve their best.

Whole-school assemblies promote self-care, self-expression, resilience and emotional literacy, reinforcing the message that mental health is as important as physical health. We also celebrate children as individuals through opportunities such as Marvellous Me assemblies, where pupils share personal interests and achievements beyond the classroom, reflecting the value we place on every child’s strengths, talents and identity.

Zones of Regulation is used as our whole school vehicle for understanding emotions, thoughts and behaviour. For learners who require a bespoke approach, individual or small group sessions are run by therapeutically trained staff. We have an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant who provides 1:1 mental health and wellbeing support, as well as small group sessions for Think Good, Feel Good. Our Inclusion Lead deploys 'Upstairs/Downstairs' bespoke support for individual learners whc require individual support to understand thoughts and behavious.

We are supported by a wide range of services and agencies and can offer advice or signpost families when additional help is needed. Further details of this support can be found in our Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Policy, available on this page.

Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation is used from Nursery to Year 6 to support children' understanding of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

No zone (or colour) is "bad". We all experience every zone at different times. The goal is to recognize which zone we are in and use strategies to get back to the manage the feelings.

The Green Zone: The "ready to learn" zone. You feel calm, happy, focused, and content.
The Blue Zone: Used to describe low states of alertness. You might feel sad, tired, bored, or sick. Your body is moving slowly.
The Yellow Zone: A heightened state of alertness. You may feel frustrated, anxious, silly, or "wiggly." You still have some control, but your emotions are rising.
The Red Zone: Extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. You may feel angry, panicked, or "out of control."

Self-regulation is a core part of our Wellbeing Curriculum. Every classroom is a "Zones-literate" environment where:

Daily Check-ins: Children use visual trackers to "check in" to a zone each morning, helping staff identify who might need a little extra support before learning begins.
A Common Language: All staff - from teachers to midday supervisors - use the same terminology. This consistency helps children feel safe and understood throughout the school day.
Calm-Down Toolkits: Every classroom is designed to include "tools" (such as sensory items, breathing cards, or quiet books) that any child can use to help regulate their emotions.
Staff Modelling: Teachers "think out loud" about their own zones (e.g., "I'm feeling a bit in the Yellow Zone because I'm busy, so I'm going to take three deep breaths"), showing children that regulation is a lifelong skill.

For children who find emotional regulation more challenging, we provide more intensive, small-group interventions. These sessions focus on:

Identifying Triggers: Helping children understand exactly what "pushes" them into Yellow or Red.
Personalised Toolboxes: Creating a bespoke set of strategies that work specifically for that child, which they can then use back in the classroom.
Social Scenarios: Using role-play to practice how to react when things go wrong on the playground or in lessons.
SEND & Attendance Support: We tailor these groups for pupils with SEND or those whose anxiety may be affecting their attendance, ensuring they feel confident and "ready to learn."

Who supports mental health and wellbeing in our school?

It's everyone's job to help our learners to feel happy and safe in school. Class teachers deliver immediate and ongoing support in the classroom through deploying our Wellbeing Curriculum, Zones of Regulation model and a relationships-first approach.

For learners who require additional and different mental health and wellbeing support, they may work with our pastoral team, either 1:1 or in small groups. This could be through ELSA support, Zones of Regulation, Think Good Feel Good or Amazing Me.

Useful links

Young Minds Leading the fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered, whatever the challenges.

Anna Freud A childrens mental health charity delivering pioneering mental health care for over 60 years

Mind Five ways to wellbeing

Anti-Bullying Alliance A great anti-bullying website for both teachers and families.

East Sussex County Council Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Resources, advice and signposting to support can be found here, as well as news and events.

Health in Mind - help for adults

It is not only our young people that are finding life hard at the moment. If you need help you can contact Health in Mind.

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