Cornwall Schools’ Wellbeing Hub Newsletter 17th January 2025
Friday 17th January 2025
Welcome to the Wellbeing Newsletter
Part 1 - Training & Events
Welcome to the Wellbeing Newsletter
The Right On Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Survey 2025 is now open for schools to register for FREE. More information on our website. This is superb opportunity for you to gain a powerful insight into the wellbeing the C&YP in your school. There is one finding that stood out clearly from the 2023 survey, that a significant number of children and young people in both primary and secondary schools did NOT feel safe in school. (View the 2023 results on the Services for Schools platform).
This finding influenced the excellent Cornwall Youth Council Manifesto with safety both physically and mentally being at the heart of many of the goals.
We are proud to be supporting the Youth Council achieve their goals. Currently we are refreshing our Start Now young people’s website and we are keen for young people to get involved.
Safety and helping children and young people feel safe is fundamental to belonging and inclusion and school attendance. This is the essence of our PBs training and advocacy of a Whole School Approach that is ‘Everybody’s Business’.
Don’t forget you can now access this and previous newsletters on the website
Wellbeing Training with Headstart Kernow
Find details of all our training including on-demand interactive modules
Current:
- A range of Karen Treisman Webinars - On-demand access Limited number of licences.
- FREE wellbeing content for all staff /governors / parents with Pooky Knightsmith’s Creative Education Platform
- Protective Behaviours 2 Day Foundation Course – March 7th / 14th 2025 (Carn Brea Leisure Centre, Pool)
- NEW for 2025 – Workforce Development Opportunities: (download PDF)
Have you joined the Headstart Kernow Creative Education membership yet?
Offering full and free access to a huge range of online, on-demand content for all school staff, governors and a dedicated membership for parents and carers.
Plus access to Live Networks for safeguarding and MH and wellbeing (with more to come)
We’ve pulled together some example pathways and themed content for you to explore.
Check out our suggestions for:
Staff
Staff wellbeing, Anxiety, Whole School Approaches
Parents and carers
Helping children learn coping skills and strategies, anxiety, exams
www.headstartkernow.org.uk/creative-education/
Download sign up information for school staff and parents & carers
Creative Education Content Exploration
Sign up for parents Sign up for staff
UPDATE – Creative are offering a new New Staff Wellbeing Network alongside their existing MH in Schools and Safeguarding Networks
Find out more about the Live Networks
Staff Wellbeing Newsletter
Creating Education are also launching a brand new free newsletter in 2025 focussing on staff wellbeing.
Sign up to get access to our latest articles on supporting staff wellbeing in schools, plus free downloadable resources.
Upcoming Courses / Network Meetings
Safeguarding Network - Monday 20th January at 12 pm (40 mins)
In our Safeguarding Network, you will gain the latest insights and best practices in safeguarding. Stay informed on recent policy changes, new legislation, and emerging trends affecting child protection. The session covers case studies, practical strategies for handling safeguarding issues, and opportunities to ask questions and engage with our expert, Elizabeth Rose. Keep your safeguarding knowledge up-to-date and ensure your practices are current and effective to enable your school to grow in confidence when dealing with safeguarding.
What you’ll learn
- Best Practices in Safeguarding
- Latest Policy and Legislation Changes
- Emerging Trends and Issues
Introduction to Kindness & Nurture-Based Behaviour Management - January 23, 2025 4:00 pm (40 mins)
Join Pooky Knightsmith for a transformative webinar designed for educators seeking practical, kindness-led strategies for behaviour management. This session introduces the powerful, positive framework of kindness, nurture, and trauma-informed practices, creating a foundation for supportive classroom environments that help every child thrive.
Objectives:
By the end of this webinar, delegates will be able to:
- Understand the core principles of kindness and nurture in behaviour management and why they are essential for fostering a positive school environment.
- Recognise the limitations of punishment-based approaches and why they may hinder rather than help student progress.
- Develop strategies to support emotional regulation, enhancing self-awareness and resilience in both staff and students.
- Create a safe, supportive classroom environment that encourages positive behaviour and inclusivity.
5 New Creative Education Courses Launching Soon
An Introduction to Supporting in a Mental Health Crisis
This course introduces you to what constitutes as a mental health crisis and the possible early warning signs to look out for.
How to Have Difficult Conversations
Participants will learn to differentiate between pressure and stress while gaining practical time management strategies for quick task turnaround.
An Introduction to Neuroinclusion
This course covers the principles of neuroinclusion, highlighting its benefits for both staff and students.
Teenagers’ Mental Health in Today's World
This course examines how mental health concerns may present in both classroom and home settings.
Thriving Under Pressure: Strategies for Resilience and Performance
Participants will learn to differentiate between pressure and stress while gaining practical time management strategies for quick task turnaround.
Like the sound of these? You can see what else we are in the process of developing, editing and publishing on Creative Ed’s new Upcoming Courses and Features page.
External Training coming up
Thrive UK Bitesize - 5 Proven Strategies for Educators to Help Pupils Express Their Emotions
4th February 4:30pm - 5:00pm (FREE)
Emotional expression is essential for the healthy development of children and young people. It supports mental wellbeing, enhances communication skills, strengthens relationships and boosts resilience at any age. When pupils haven't been taught - or don't feel able - to talk about how they are feeling, it can lead to several challenges that impact their emotional, social and academic development.
Register For Free Now (Can’t join live? Sign up anyway and we’ll share the recording).
Taming the Anxiety Guard Dog – From Anxiety to Resilience
Feb 5th 7-8.30pm GMT
Nicola Morgan author of a number of excellent books for C&YP including ‘Blame my Brain’) is pairing up with the awesome Authors Aloud to offer an in-depth online event, Taming the Anxiety Guard Dog - From Anxiety to Resilience. This is to coincide with Children’s Mental Health Week. I’m packing the talk with knowledge and insights to give you the deepest depth and broadest breadth. You’ll come away understanding so much!
When: Feb 5th 7-8.30pm GMT
Where: On Zoom. Booking link HERE
Who for: Parents, carers, relatives, teachers, other professionals - anyone living or working with young people from aged around 10 upwards, including young adults.
Cost: £20, to include lots of resources and the Powerpoint. And there’ll be a giveaway with three signed books as prizes. (Each person booking a place will be entered into the draw automatically.)
UK Feminista Free online teacher training course for tackling sexism and sexual harassment
Our online teacher training course equips teachers and trainee teachers with the tools, knowledge and confidence to tackle sexism and sexual harassment.
The course consists of three modules and takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. It includes interactive exercises, case studies, video content and classroom resources.
The course is free to access and can be delivered internally by schools and Initial Teacher Training providers. Participants can complete the course at a time and location of their choosing and everyone who completes the course receives a certificate.
UK Trauma Council Insight Series
Creating Healing Environments: Evidence-Based Principles for Recovery after Trauma
13 February 2025 17:00-18:30 (FREE)
Join this free insightful webinar to gain practical, evidence-informed principles for supporting children and young people after potentially traumatic events.
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Part 2 - News / Resources / Updates
School Mental Health Leads
No new applications can be made but a reminder if you have an existing application it need to be completed by 31st January to ensure you receive the payment.
More information on the DfE website
The Right On Survey 2025 – Register Now
The Right On Survey 2025 has been launched and registration is now open to all education settings in Cornwall. The survey supports children’s rights, providing an important opportunity for young people to have their voices heard and influence decision making.
This follows the success of the 2023 survey which was completed by over 8,200 children and young people. The data gathered has provided the Council, education settings and partner organisations with a wealth of information on the views, opinions and experiences of young people. This has been used to shape service delivery and strategy across a broad range of areas. Settings told us they have used the findings to help improve the support offer for pupils, inform school development plans and in PSHE delivery.
Feedback from schools includes:
“This is an excellent survey and allows us to evaluate our provision”.
“Very detailed and relevant …. so useful to know what our children are thinking and feeling”.
“Really useful to target our team around the child team to support various cohorts/year groups”.
The online survey will be live for four weeks in March 2025 and it is again free for all settings to participate. Every participating setting will receive a bespoke report summarising key findings. Find out more and register your interest here. Registration is open until 31 January 2025. Further information is also available on the Services for Schools platform.
The Right On Survey 2025 is being delivered by the Children's Rights Team in partnership with Public Health, who are also funding the project. If you have any questions please email childrensrights@cornwall.gov.uk.
Download this information as a pdf
Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week (3-9 February)
The theme this year is ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’, which is about encouraging children and young people across the UK to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means for them.
Lots of FREE resources:
The primary and secondary school packs are jam-packed with easy-to-organise class activities and top tips.
Resources for families include top tips to encourage your child to express their emotions and a new Art Room activity to do at home!
Parental Engagement Framework – New Free ‘Taster Offer’
The Parental Engagement Framework Team are offering a free Parental Engagement ‘Taster Offer’ to schools.
The team can offer schools an opportunity to gain a free insight into how the Parental Engagement Framework (PEF) can support your journey to work in partnership with families to positively impact on academic and wider outcomes.
It will provide you with a firm foundation to build this work into your ongoing school priorities and in developing a culture of belonging within your school and community.
Download Parental engagement taster leaflet
Download Parental engagement leaflet 2024-2025
Together for Families Parenting Offer
Find out the latest on the Together for Families Parenting Offer and how families can access a range of courses and resources to support families with children across the age range.
Empathy Lab – Read for Empathy collection ’25 coming 13th February!
Our book collections for 3-16+ year olds are used across the UK in empathy education work, formal and informal. The 2025 collection is our biggest to date, and includes 70 books which are contemporary, diverse, and bold. They are expertly curated to build specific empathy skills like perspective-taking and a wide vocabulary for sharing emotions. Our training session helps you to make powerful use of the collection books in classrooms, libraries and homes.
Why read for empathy?
Reading for pleasure, which significantly impacts positively on wellbeing, confidence and learning - particularly for underprivileged children - is at an all-time low. As reported by the National Literacy Society in 2024, only 1 in 3 8–18-year-olds enjoyed reading in their spare time. Reading for empathy is a great way to help children and young people read for pleasure, and it's now more important than ever.
Barnardos Resources for parents and carers
Helping parents and carers support 10-12-year-olds. A series of short animations talk about some of the challenges 10 to 12-year-olds are facing and the best ways parents can help a child deal with them – they’re great to watch together and can help start a conversation.
- Dealing with Negative Thoughts
- Being your own Best Friend
News from Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools
Develop a mentally healthy school or college with our resources and toolkit
Support children and young people to manage their wellbeing with a whole-school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Our mental health lead resource hub signposts over 110 practical resources from trusted organisations. Access the hub today to help you embed positive mental wellbeing in your setting.
We have also added a number of new programmes to our targeted support toolkit. Use our targeted support tool to find the right evidence-based support options for your setting.
Access our resources and targeted support toolkit to develop your setting’s approach
Mental health and wellbeing calendar: spring term 2025
A calendar of curriculum themes and occasions linked to mental health for the 2025 spring term, with activity ideas and suggestions for each theme.
Research opportunity
Are you a primary school teacher? Have you found yourself supporting your pupils with their mental health needs? Increase your impact on children's mental health by sharing your thoughts in our research study.
To get involved please email hannah.logue@annafreud.org
The Wholehearted School Counselling Hub
One of our favourite sites for engaging and effective tools to support social and emotional wellbeing in schools is Wholehearted School Counselling.
If you sign up to the newsletter you can access a superb range of free resources / brilliant blog posts and even more fab resources to buy at low cost.
Anita is sharing some super resources – which are well worth signing up for alone. Check it out.
Website update
Have you visited our new www.headstartkernow.org.uk website yet?
We are delighted to let you know that our refreshed and redesigned website went live recently. We made it simpler to find what you need as professionals supporting children and families need as well adding a new, more prominent area for parents and carers.