Cornwall Schools’ Wellbeing Hub Newsletter 16th May 2025
Friday 16th May 2025
Welcome to the Wellbeing Newsletter
Hope all is going smoothly with SATS and GCSE’s etc. It’s always a joy to see how primary schools make SATs week as stress free as possible whether it’s bacon butties first thing or reminding children and parents that SATs measure only a small part of what it is to be this unique individual.
Amongst so much doom and gloom it is easy to forget that there is kindness and consideration to be found:
- A multinational company nothing to do with wellbeing / mental health
- Contacted by a young person asking about a paint sample resource (huge and normally very expensive). Did they perhaps have an older, out of date version they could send (YP offered to pay towards it and /or pay postage)
- Little or no expectation of a reply or a reply saying they couldn’t help
- Received a response within hours from someone who just got it. They replied with warmth, enthusiasm and insight into why such a resource might be helpful and the importance of YP EHWB.
- They didn’t have an old version but they were going to send current edition and a whole load of other stuff linked to colours that might be useful.
- Along with warm wishes and encouragement for the YP.
It isn’t the resource that made that the young person’s day it’s that response and the time taken to say those things…
This simple act of kindness has rippled across recent days for the YP, for us and for other YP getting involved.
Child Poverty in Cornwall
The Director of Public Health is focusing on child poverty in their Annual Report this year and they are keen to shine the spotlight on the voices / experiences of children and young people as well gathering the views of professionals working with children and families on how poverty affects children and the impact that managing the symptoms of poverty has on their organisation.
There are two excellent opportunities to contribute:
- Help PH explore and capture children's understanding of health and happiness (deadline 27th June)
- share your views by completing the Child Poverty Impact Survey (closing date 6th June)
Don’t forget you can now access this and previous newsletters on the website
Wellbeing Training with Headstart Kernow
Have you joined the Headstart Kernow Creative Education membership yet?
Sign up here: www.headstartkernow.org.uk/creative-education/
Download our updated Creative Education membership information fliers with access links for:
New Creative Education are offering Supervision (cost involved)
Supervision: Supporting the People Who Support Everyone Else
Professional supervision for DSLs, Mental Health Leads, SENCOs, Pastoral Staff
School staff who support vulnerable children and colleagues need support too. Our professional supervision service provides a structured, reflective space for staff to process challenging situations, develop their practice, and maintain their wellbeing.
Expert Supervision Delivered by experienced professionals who understand the unique challenges of educational settings.
Structured Support Regular, confidential sessions that provide space for reflection, problem-solving, and professional growth. Group sessions or 1:1 available.
Wellbeing Focus Helps prevent burnout and compassion fatigue among staff in demanding roles.
External organisations - training coming up.
Schools in Mind
How can schools and colleges help young people form healthy relationships in a digital world?
We know that it can be challenging to know how to support young people to form and maintain healthy relationships, particularly in the context of the increasing popularity of digital spaces.
Join us on 18 June (16.30 – 18.00) for an interactive webinar, which will help education staff and other professionals who work with children and young people to support the development of healthy peer relationships.
The session will also help you identify signs that a student is being negatively affected by their peer relationships, as well as support you to understand how to look after both your wellbeing and that of your colleagues when navigating these difficult situations and conversations.
More information / Booking (cost involved)
On-demand from ThriveUK
From red pill to 80/20: decoding Netflix’s Adolescence to support mental health in education
Now available as a free on-demand recording with a free guide:
Increasingly young people are being exposed to harmful online narratives around masculinity, relationships and self-worth. From incel culture and the manosphere to red pill ideology, these digital spaces can shape how boys see themselves and interact with others - sometimes with devastating consequences.
As educators, how can we spot the warning signs? How do we create safe spaces for young people to talk about these issues? And how can we equip them with the tools to develop a healthy sense of identity and belonging?
On-demand webinar: Overwhelm-busters for the young person’s toolkit.
Exam season is just around the corner, and with an increasing focus on attainment, the pressure to succeed can be daunting for pupils and educators alike. In ‘SaveMyExams’ 2024 survey, 85% of pupils said they experienced exam anxiety and 1 in 4 said it was nearly unbearable. While it’s natural for young people to have some nerves about exams, it’s important to take steps to ensure the stress doesn’t take a serious toll on their wellbeing and performance.
In this 45-minute webinar, Thrive’s Head of Product and Innovation, Viv Trask-Hall, dives into the science behind stress and shares practical strategies that pupils can use when overwhelm creeps in.
Dr Lisa Cherry (TICS) Circles and Threads; Trauma Informed Record Keeping
1st July 2025 (online). Cost involved.
For foster carers, social workers and those in education responsible for writing records.
It is an insightful, interactive, connection space. Using a trauma informed lens, we'll explore how records have the capacity to heal the reader long after their time in care.
News / Resources / Updates
The Brilliant ME! Guide to Anxiety Booklet for parents and carers has just landed from the printers. Schools / professionals can order free copies from us via the resource order page on the website and parents can request free copies directly or get them from their local library.
There is an accompanying booklet for school staff with additional information and resources (order from the resources page).
Education Support - Prioritising and mental health
Education Support have a range of resources to help you and your teams to stay well.
From strategies for partnering with parents to guidance on supporting colleagues through personal loss, these tools aim to foster a supportive and understanding school environment.
Breathing exercises for beating stress and creating calm
And remember, our free, confidential helpline is available 24/7 for you and your team. Whatever you’re facing, you’re not alone.
08000 562 561
Call us. We’ll listen.
Exams, SATS and Transition support
Find advice and information for YP from YP on both exams season (including SATS) and transition via the Start Now website.
Head to our website to order Transition Mission booklets (free)
Young Minds Update - getting young people through exam season
Stress bucket activity – help young people identify what exactly is causing them stress and the things they can do to reduce it.
Mindfulness activities – help young people calm their heightened emotions and cope with anxiety.
For more tips and advice on managing exam time, check out our guides for parents/carers and professionals.
NSPCC / Childline / Exam Stress
The NSPCC has published a news story on children experiencing exam and revision stress. Data from Childline counselling sessions between April 2024 and March 2025 highlighted key themes including feeling under pressure to do well; struggling to balance revision and other parts of life; and losing sleep over revision, exams, and the idea of failing.
The news story includes advice to help young people during this period.
Charlie Waller – Supporting Parents and Carers
Something to signpost parents and carers to?
Accessing Parent Carer Peer Support - The PLACE Network
Often the best way for parents and carers to get support is to connect with others who have been through something similar. This is known as parent and carer peer support (PCPS). That’s why we help to support the PLACE Network: a collection of individuals or support groups/projects who are interested in or provide parent-carer peer support (PCPS) in the children’s and young people’s mental health space.
So, if you’d like to connect with parents and carers who are using their experiences to help others, take a look at our website to find PLACE Parent Carer Peer Support organisations or groups near you which offer support.
Empathy Day Festival is coming soon and there is lots on offer.
Register Now for the Empathy Day Festival 2nd – 12th June 2025
And access some excellent, FREE, empathy resources, training and online events for pupils.
New Opportunity for Schools- Empathy Lab Schools Programme
Find out more
News from Pooky Knightsmith
The latest resources from Pooky are Self-Advocacy Scripts for Autistic Girls.
Many autistic girls struggle to express their needs, whether it’s asking for help, setting boundaries, managing sensory overload, or advocating for a break. This guide provides practical, adaptable scripts to help them communicate with confidence—whether verbally, in writing, or non-verbally.
The resource includes:
- Scenario-based scripts with gentle, direct, and assertive options
- Non-verbal alternatives for those who prefer not to speak
- Tips for educators and caregivers to model and support self-advocacy
- A troubleshooting section to tackle common challenges
Why this matters
Self-advocacy isn’t just about speaking up—it’s about creating safe spaces where autistic girls feel heard, valued, and respected. These scripts provide a starting point, but the real impact happens when we support, encourage, and celebrate each student’s unique way of expressing themselves.
Self-Advocacy Scripts for Autistic Girls (pdf attached)
As ever Pooky is happy to share and for people to use / adapt as you see fit – with a credit.
Free / low-cost wellbeing resources for schools
Excellent free / low cost Social and Emotional Learning resources can be found on some of our very favourite websites:
Whole Hearted School Counseling – brilliant blogs, fab freebies and low cost resources that worth purchasing
Anita who ‘is’ WHSC has been creating some fabulous resources recently.
A recent series of blogs with additional resources have covered some really important areas for supporting young people in engaging and fun ways.
Anita has also been posting some excellent brief wellbeing snapshots for young people and parents via Instagram.
ELSA Support
Again, lots to love with a terrific bank of free downloads and low-cost resources.
A new resource featured this week is:
Regulation scenarios.
The Regulation Scenarios Pack is designed to spark discussion, reflection, and skill-building in a child-friendly and realistic way. Each card presents a relatable situation that might happen during the school day or at home, followed by three possible responses… (cost involved)
Be Happy Resources
Resources to buy and subscriptions to access everything on site but always a free resource or two each week:
Any other sites you are aware of and would recommend?
Wellbeing Books of the Week
What are YOU Feeling? – a picture book of your emotions by The School of Life
What are THEY Feeling? – the adventures of an empathy detective emotions by The School of Life.
After struggling a little with Lisa Cherry’s ‘Weaving a Web of Belonging’ last week (although we did try the banana bread recipe and very good it was too), definitely back in the comfort zone with these two super books.
Both explore a child’s emotional literacy skills, support a social emotional learning curriculum and make great resources for PSHE.
‘What are you Feeling?’ is a truly lovely introduction to emotional literacy. Each emotion covered is beautifully illustrated by illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett who brings each feeling to life with his vivid, colourful and amusing illustrations.
The book discusses 20 different feelings from happy to mischievous. Children are encouraged to identify these feelings in ways that are healthy and easy to understand.
Things that make this book truly outstanding are the ways it sets out to reassure children that all feelings are OK (no bad feelings) and to encourage and empower children to talk about their feelings / ask for help when needed.
The book encourages children to think for themselves, take ownership of their feelings and consider how to react to situations. Making it a super resource to have when helping pupils explore self-regulation.
Right at the end of the book it finishes with a question, ‘What are They Feeling?’ and introduces the idea of empathy. This is picked up in…
‘What are They Feeling?’ I wasn’t surprised to find that this is just as brilliant as ‘What are You Feeling?’. This is one of the best ways of exploring empathy with children I’ve come across.
It offers a superb definition of empathy and combines it with a real depth when explaining how we can ‘read’ others and understand how they might be feeling.
There are sections entitled: ‘Can you feel empathy for someone who isn’t nice?’ and ‘Other people’s feelings aren’t always about you’. This is important and the whole book is about addressing these and other questions in a fun, safe and compassionate way.
Using these books in school. The suggested age for the books are 5 – 8 years but they can be used throughout primary (and perhaps even into KS3 for individual children working with pastoral support).
They are books to explore with an adult so they would make a great addition to a wellbeing library for parents and carers. Great for wellbeing practitioners working 1:1 or with small groups but I believe both could be a superb addition to PSHE resources and to have handy in the classroom too.
Superb, highly recommended.
Suicidal Thoughts in Young People - Papyrus
It is not uncommon for young people to experience emotional distress or turbulence as they navigate adolescence. However, any talk of hopelessness, self-harm, or suicide should never be dismissed or minimised. Suicidal thoughts are a clear indication that a young person is struggling and needs support.
Recognising the signs can be difficult. Changes in behaviour, withdrawal from others, or increased risk-taking may signal deeper concerns. It’s vital to create a safe, non-judgemental space where pupils feel able to talk. These conversations can be uncomfortable, but they can also be life-saving.
Papyrus, a national charity dedicated to preventing suicide in young people, offers practical advice on how to take these concerns seriously and respond appropriately. Staff are encouraged to read and share the following resource:
https://www.papyrus-uk.org/the-importance-of-taking-suicidal-thoughts-in-young-people-seriously/
Digital Resilience Tools and Resources
As part of our overall website refresh, we have updated / improved the digital resilience tools / resources and added some new ones. There are tools for professional, parents and carers and young people themselves. Recent additions include:
- SEND Digital Resilience Guidance
- Was that, OK? tool for young people.
- Podcast Series for young people
Explore these and all the digital resilience resources
VapeANON
VapeANON.com lets young people share information about shops selling vapes to children - and it’s entirely anonymous.
Created by Cornwall Council Trading Standards in response to concerns raised by young people at our Children’s Rights Annual Conversation, VapeANON enables young people to pass on information anonymously to Cornwall’s Trading Standards team about shops that are breaking the law by selling vapes to under 18s.
One of the young people who took part in the Annual Conversation said:
“Whilst working with other young people to create an action plan to address the issue of young people vaping at the Annual Conversation we all discovered that most of us knew at least one person who had bought a vape illegally. We all felt like something had to be done to prevent more young people accessing vapes so I’m very proud that Trading Standards listened to the concerns of the young people and are working to combat this issue."
From Trauma Informed Consultancies (TICS)
Willow den building!
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.