The Michael Tippett Healthy School Grant (360G-Walcot-0061E00001LDVSOQA5)

We want to focus on the mental well-being of our pupils. As a complex needs SEND school our pupils are more likely to suffer mental ill-health and many of them have been particularly affected by the pandemic as they already were an often isolated and vulnerable group. We will be using the grant for protective measures. This would include training staff in mindfulness and the training to teach mindfulness, benefiting staff and pupils. We would employ a music teacher to support pupil?s expression, especially as many of our pupils are non-verbal and this allows them to express themselves in a responsive environment. We start holding mental well-being weeks and the grant would enable us to develop them throughout the year. All this would enable the pupils to express themselves through non-verbal methods and regulate themselves better, improving their well-being. Alongside the protective features we also want to support pupils who we consider may need more intervention. This would entail employing some creative therapists such as movement therapy, as these have been shown to be particularly effective for SEND students. We would also train a mental well-being champions in Mental Health First Aid.