Y6 Transition Support Packs from Young Minds Matter (YMM)

Dear Parent/Carer and Year 6 student.

The move to secondary school can be an exciting time of change and development but  it can also be time of worry and uncertainty for some. With this in mind, Young Minds Matter NHS have produced a ‘Transition support pack’ for you and your child to work through.

There are 2 PowerPoint video sessions on Youtube (see below), one for parents/ carers and one for students. The purpose is to support you in learning how to build confidence for opportunities and challenges in year 7.

 Learning about moving to secondary school

How to support your young person with transition anxiety – for parents and carers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7oWUBxKec

How to manage worries about moving to secondary school – for children and young people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5anUVakvWA&list=PLMUUO37-a958e65x3KKi01nn7tKoRtA3L&index=3

 Alongside these presentations, please preview the attached workbooks and use the version that you feel best suits your child’s level of understanding (there are two for relevant learning levels). These are designed to be used by your child alongside the PowerPoint Video session. Please request for the school to print a copy if the MS Word packs if a printer is not accessible for you.

We hope you find the pack helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further help.

Many thanks

The Young Minds Matter Team

Telephone: 01452  895272.

Children's Mental Health Week: 6th - 12th February 2023

The theme for Children’s Mental Health Week this year is ‘Let’s Connect’, focusing on how having healthy connections with friends, family, and members of the wider community plays a vitally important role in our mental wellbeing.

Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections. Human beings thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. And when our need for rewarding social connections is not met, we can sometimes feel isolated and lonely – which can have a negative impact on our mental health. 

As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. Check out  the free resources for families linked below.

https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/

Parenting advice from child mental health experts can be found in the Place2Be website linked below

https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/parents-and-carers/

Family Moodbusters

Click the link to access moodbuster activities for all the family.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/moodboosters

​​​Sleep Awareness

😴

The importance of good sleep cannot be over estimated. Poor sleep affects both our mental and physical well-being, often leading to poor concentration, stress, worry and mood disorder.

Getting Ready to Sleep Well: Top Tips

• Limit how much TV you watch close to bedtime

• Avoid watching programmes or films that have upsetting or scary content close to bedtime

• Avoid sugary foods or drinks in the evening

• Leave mobile phones or other devices in another room, ideally downstairs if you live in a house

• Listen to or read a calming story (save the action and thrills for early evening!)

• Listen to some soothing music

• Cut down on caffeine, especially in the evening. Drinks such as cola as well as tea and coffee contain caffeine. Too much caffeine prevents deep sleep and can make falling asleep.

Trailblazer Programme | Mental Health Support Teams in Schools

We are delighted that our school has been given the opportunity to take part in a new, national programme to help make mental health support for children and young people more available when they need it.

We are one of 72 schools from Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean to work with the NHS in Gloucestershire to introduce Mental Health Support Teams into schools. 

We hope that these teams will provide valuable support to our pupils to help them with life’s ups and down, for example, with issues such as anxiety, friendship concerns, exam stress and challenging behaviour.

This may involve group work and/or individual, one-to-one support, either at school or elsewhere. Where appropriate, the Mental Health Support Team will also link up with the specialist mental health services in Gloucestershire. They will also support parents and teachers to help children and young people who are experiencing difficulties.

If you have any questions or concerns or would like to make a referral to the service, please contact Mr Manning or Mrs Broddle.

Please click the link below to find out more.

https://www.ghll.org.uk/mental-health/trailblazer-programme/