Wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing

At Priory School, we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students and staff. Our culture is supportive, caring, and respectful. We know that everyone experiences different life challenges, and that each of us may need help to cope with them sometimes. We understand that anyone and everyone may need additional emotional support. At our school, positive mental health is everybody’s responsibility. At Priory, we meet this responsibility by considering how best to support the individual needs of each student.

How do we promote wellbeing at Priory School

Supporting the development of wellbeing for our students is fundamental to the ethos of Priory School. We believe that good wellbeing is achieved through a broad and rich provision which emphasises:

  • development of skills

  • experience of success

  • development in independence in daily life, and in management of emotional or physical needs

  • access to the activities or equipment required for self-regulation

  • access to physical activity and time within nature.

Supporting student wellbeing is interwoven through all aspects of life at Priory.

Responding to Mental Health Concerns

Many young people experience mental health difficulties. At Priory, we respond to these by considering how best to support with the individual needs of each student. Frequently, this includes collaboration with professionals to identify a appropriate response. Teaching staff and other professionals work together with the Mental Health Lead, to identify if further intervention is required by internal or external professionals, including mental health services.

Mental Health and the Priory Curriculum

Through the PSHE curriculum, alongside enrichment activities and specialist therapeutic programs, students are supported to develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills. These skills facilitate an increasing awareness of emotional or internal state (interoception), and communication about these, using zones of regulation where possible.

More information about ‘zones of regulation’ can be found here.

How does our therapy team support wellbeing

Our therapy team is fundamental to the development of wellbeing and mental health support for all Priory students.

Our students are sometimes unable to tell us using words, signs or symbols that they need help, and so require familiar professionals to identify changes in behaviour or presentation. The therapy team support class staff to understand the behaviour, communication or sensory needs of the student and implement changes to address these needs, with the aim of improving wellbeing for each student.

Visit our Therapeutic support page for full details.

Individual therapeutic support

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

Priory school has six practicing ELSAs, who are trained and supervised half-termly by Rajinda Sodhi, Educational Psychologist from South East Psychology. You can read more about their work here.

ELSAs work with identified students often to provide 1:1 support in a particular area of emotional development. This support may be to develop communication skills around identifying emotion, or to have space to explore a particular area of need in the event of a difficult situation.

Allied Therapists

The team of allied therapists provide a professional therapeutic intervention to students who have been identified by teaching staff or therapists. In addition, the School regularly contracts in the services of external therapists, including Drama and Music therapists.

The in-house team of allied therapists are:.

  • Susan Pires — Complementary Therapist

  • Fiona Barnes — Art Therapist

Visit our Therapeutic support page for full details.

Liaison with external services

There are times when students’ mental health requires specialist support from the local CAMHS service. Priory staff work closely with the tier 2 and tier 3 learning disability service in Croydon CAMHS, and consult and collaborate with the learning disability clinical lead to establish appropriate referrals. CAMHS professionals also attend Priory Parent Groups to talk about mental health & learning disability. Look up a local CAMHS service here.