Cornwall Schools’ Wellbeing Hub Newsletter 26th February 2026
Thursday 26th February 2026
Welcome to the Wellbeing Newsletter
The publication of the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ white paper offers much to consider. Not least the SEND reforms and implications.
We’ve had an initial look, using a lens of wellbeing and whole school approaches we found encouraging threads and ambitions:
Belonging as a ‘Key National Ambition’ was a welcome surprise with the acknowledgement that a sense of belonging is a protective factor; a driver of attainment and measure schools should track (have a look at the article, ‘How Can School Measure Belonging?’ Jean Gross wrote for the TES recently for a thoughtful starting point).
A new ‘National Pupil Engagement Framework’ to come later this year is intriguing.
It feels that throughout the document PSHE, Oracy and Personal Development – including Citizenship & Enrichment are elevated / drawn together to be threaded throughout to support the ‘National Ambitions and offer a core of wellbeing and early support at a universal level… hopefully reducing the burden on schools of more entrenched challenges.
This too is perhaps supported in the desire for stronger collaborations between education, health and local government.
Look out for more reflection and briefing on how we can support and signpost.
Book Review
Our recommended book this week is the truly outstanding ‘Reaching the Unseen Children’ (2nd Edition) by Jean Gross.
Reaching the Unseen Children provides a powerful and accessible resource for schools working to raise the attainment of all disadvantaged pupils, with particular emphasis on white children from low-income backgrounds. Jean Gross argues that progress will only be made through early intervention and building pupils’ sense of capability, and sets out low-cost, low-effort ways in which teachers can transform outcomes for their students – through the everyday language they use, the expectations they convey, and the relationships they build with pupils and their parents.
Accessible and readable, this is a thoughtful and comprehensive book. It is essentially about the importance of inclusion and belonging with relational practice at heart for all in school. It also offers practical strategies for addressing key areas of the attainment gap including literacy and numeracy. A very good read. The newly published 2nd Edition is expanded and updated including an important new section on Attendance. Highly Recommended.
What’s on the Headstart Kernow website?
Brilliant ME! – Primary wellbeing downloadable journal
Brilliant ME!, a primary wellbeing journal with a Cornish, sea‑themed design that supports belonging, resilience, and PSHE mental‑wellbeing goals. It links to frameworks like Boingboing’s Resilience Framework and the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, with additional links to guidance and journal pages.
Don’t forget you can now access this and previous newsletters on the website
Training & Events
When the Adults Change- NEW Training Packages launched
Parent Coach Courses https://www.whentheadultschang...
Behaviour Book Club is on the first Tuesday of every month with our own Sam Stocken. Sign up for free here www.WhenTheAdultsChange.com/events
Partner School Open Day will be on March 6th - contact Tracey@WhenTheAdultsChange.com to get involved.
Our Early Years Course has been approved by the EEF https://www.whentheadultschang...
Paul and Tara hit the road with fabulous live Keynotes, book early, availability is going fast https://www.whentheadultschang...
Free weekly tips from Paul, sign up on the homepage www.WhenTheAdultsChange.com
Eating Disorder Awareness Week Supporting Families and Carers - The Charlie Waller Trust
This Eating Disorder Awareness Week highlights the power of community and the vital role families and friends play in recovery. A series of free, fully funded workshops and an online webinar, A Parent’s Journey Supporting a Child Through an Eating Disorder, offer practical tools and shared insight to help carers feel less alone and better equipped to support a loved one.
Find out more and sign up here
Free Webinar - A Parent’s Journey: Supporting a Child Through an Eating Disorder
Join Catherine, a trained New Maudsley Approach facilitator and parent who has personally navigated supporting her own child through an eating disorder. In this webinar, Catherine shares how the practical tools she gained from the approach, along with the layered learning and insights she developed throughout her family’s journey which are so supportive to parents and carers in the same position.
🗓️ Wednesday 4 March
⏰ 2.00pm - 3.00pm
📍 Online
Find out more and sign up here
Wellbeing Action Plans and Practical Support for Anxiety - Charlie Waller
Charlie Waller’s Wellbeing Action Plans are practical, personalised tools designed to help children and young people understand what they find difficult, what supports them and when to seek help, with versions available for both young people and adults. Alongside this, their guidance on supporting a child with anxiety offers clear, accessible advice for parents and carers on recognising signs of anxiety, knowing what helps and understanding when to seek further support.
Cultures That Care - A Retention Toolkit for Schools
With one in four education staff considering leaving due to mental health pressures and one in eleven teachers leaving the state system in 2023 to 2024, staff retention remains a critical challenge. Cultures that care is a free, research informed toolkit offering practical, evidence-based actions to help school leaders strengthen wellbeing, improve retention and build sustainable school cultures. Grounded in evidence from the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, it provides clear recommendations, real school examples and ready to use resources to support meaningful culture change.
DfE Signals Major Shift Towards Measuring Pupil Engagement
This week’s Education White Paper signalled a major shift, with the DfE aiming for all schools to measure pupil engagement by 2029 and The Engagement Platform TEP highlighted as a case study. Drawing on research with over 300,000 pupils, the evidence shows engagement is a leading indicator of attendance and attainment, supported by precision benchmarking and subsidised participation this year. An upcoming webinar will explore the research, the benchmarking approach and how schools are embedding engagement into improvement planning.
Find out more and register below:
The Department for Education - Updated Mobile Phone Guidance for Schools
The Department for Education has published updated supporting materials linked to its January 2026 mobile phones guidance, with the expectation that schools operate as mobile phone free environments by default from 1 April 2026. While there are no new compliance requirements, the revised non statutory guidance includes a new parent communication toolkit and practical case studies to support policy implementation. Leaders reviewing or relaunching their approach may find the materials helpful.
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:
Stay in touch: Check out our training and other support and sign up for the occasional newsletter.
And follow us on our page on the Services for Schools platform.
News and Resources
Free Wellbeing Measurement Surveys
All Wellbeing Measurement for Schools modular surveys are available free for schools and colleges. Two particularly relevant options for this year’s theme include:
- School Life Survey – insight into how pupils feel about day‑to‑day school experiences
- Relationships Survey – understanding connections with peers and trusted adults
ELSA – Free resources
A spotlight on the wide range of wellbeing and emotional literacy resources available on Elsa‑Support. This section highlights the breadth of downloadable materials, including lesson plans, worksheets, mindfulness activities, pupil leaflets, tangible items from Debbie’s Hive, and an expanding collection of secondary resources. It also notes that users can request new resources or adaptations, ensuring support that’s flexible, relevant, and tailored to children’s needs.
Bullying Prevention Tool - A tool for the school and children’s workforce
A practical framework designed to help schools and children’s settings strengthen their bullying prevention strategy. Created using the Anti‑Bullying Alliance’s expertise, this tool outlines four key elements of effective practice, supported by useful examples and resources. It’s a simple, structured way to understand what’s happening in your setting and take meaningful steps towards a whole‑school approach to preventing bullying.
Have you visited our new www.headstartkernow.org.uk website yet?
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.
Have a look and let us know what you think!
Stay in touch: Check out our training and other support at www.headstartkernow.org.uk and sign up for the occasional newsletter.
And follow us on our page on the Services for Schools platform.