Support for Emotional and Social Development
At South Hetton Primary School we are dedicated to promoting healthy emotional and social development. We consult with a wide range of external agencies and maintain a close working relationship in order to access the best professional advice to ensure the emotional and social development needs of all children are met.
Durham Resilience Project: In 2022-2023, we worked with Durham University to engage with the Durham Resilience Project. This project involved collaborative working with Ben Greenfield from Durham University to audit and develop opportunities to foster resilience in our school. Following initial training, staff members built a small action planning team and an action plan has now been generated that includes ways that we, as a school, can support resilience for both children and staff.
We also work closely with the Local Authority and providers of additional services such as Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapy, CAMHs, Social Services and Medical Professionals. Where multi-agency meetings are needed, we endeavour to hold these meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if appropriate.
We are an inclusive school; we welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff believe that children having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s well-being. We have a patient, caring and understanding team who know the children, and each other, well. The class teacher holds overall responsibility for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore, this would be the parents/carers’ first point of contact. If further support is required, the class teacher liaises with the school SENDCo for further advice and support. As a school, we promote inclusivity and celebrate diversity which supports our efforts in preventing instances of bullying. Where bullying does occur, this is dealt with quickly and effectively. For further information, please see our Anti-Bullying Strategy which can be found in our policies section.
At South Hetton Primary School, we believe that positive relationships with pupils, parents and carers plays a vital role in behaviour management. We strive to work in partnership with parents and cares, and share success and praise. We believe in developing classroom environments that provide a comfortable, engaging and safe space for our children to learn. We follow a ‘Good to Be Green’ approach to behaviour and celebrate high standards of behaviour with termly behaviour treats and merits. Each term, children are selected from each year group to receive an award linked to our school values: Perseverance, Ambition, Independence, Nurture, Teamwork. The nature of our values ensures that all children have the opportunity to achieve. Parents and carers are invited to celebrate these achievements with their child in a termly assembly. We believe in rewarding positive behaviours and attitudes. We also use sanctions consistently, where required.
Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis. Lateness and absences are recorded (with reasons) and shared with the Head Teacher. Where attendance becomes an issue, we seek support from the Attendance Improvement Team.
