2.1 Overview

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends that headteachers, governors, teachers and support staff should demonstrate a commitment to the social and emotional well-being of young people.  They should provide leadership in this area by ensuring it features prominently within improvement plans, policies, systems and activities. To guarantee that mental health and emotional well-being is considered to have equal status with other areas of the curriculum and to ensure that impact of this is monitored, it should be evident that it has been included in the following:

• School Improvement and Development Plans
• Personal, Social and Health Education PSHE
• Health and Well-being Strategy and Planning
• Social, Moral, Spiritual and cultural education SMSC
• Behaviour and rewards systems

2.2 Mental Health Leadership

Alongside key leadership from senior management there should be a designated lead for mental health and well-being who has the support of the senior leadership team and governors to move forward with ideas that should become embedded across the whole school.  It is the responsibility of the designated lead for mental health to identify issues, make referrals and link schools with expertise.

Any member of staff who has a concern about a child who may be at risk of suffering from SEMH issues should be known to the Mental Health Lead (MHL).  At Clare Mount Specialist Sports College, the person responsible for this is The Director of Personal Development and Wellbeing, supported by a team designated to the welfare and personal development of the students and staff:

• Assistant Head Teacher (Welfare and Safeguarding)
• Pupil Support and Welfare Lead
• Wellbeing Coordinator
• Learning Mentor Team

Concerns about the mental health of a student should be referred to a member of the above team unless you are concerned a child might be at immediate risk in which case the usual procedure for child protection/safeguarding concerns should be followed.  If a pupil presents with a medical emergency through self-harm/self-injury then the usual procedure for first aid/medical emergency should be followed first and then a referral should be made to the MHL.  Please follow the procedure for referrals in the referral section in this policy.

Key areas

• Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) and well-being are clearly referenced in relevant school plans and documents such as the School Improvement and Development Plan (SIDP), school website and the prospectus.

• There is a designated lead for mental health (MHL) who can link the school with specialist services and mental health providers.
• Support and training for school governors is provided for them to be able to champion the SEMH cause.
• Mental health problems are raised with the MHL and safeguarding guidelines should be followed in necessary circumstances.
• The school endeavours to continually promote positive messages about SEMH and play an active part in encouraging a breakdown of the stigma surrounding issues related to mental ill-health such as anxiety and depression.  We actively try to tackle such myths by signing up to such key campaigns as ‘Time to Change,’ and Youth Mental Health Awareness Week.  Negative images and stereotypes are consistently challenged and incorporated into the promotion of anti-bullying, in the behaviour policy and across the PHSE curriculum.

1. 1. Links with the Ofsted Inspection framework

Steps are continually taken to ensure that the school follows the guidance of OFSTED in matters related to SEMH. Our policy, vision and everyday actions are influenced by the following: