Cornwall Schools’ Wellbeing Hub Newsletter 9th September 2026
Wednesday 9th September 2026
Welcome to the Wellbeing Newsletter
Find out more about the Cornwall Schools’ Wellbeing Hub and the support / resources / tools available to support “a Whole School, trauma informed, relational Approach to Wellbeing that is ‘Everybody’s Business’".
Welcome
September is the perfect time to set the tone for the year ahead. That's why we'd love to invite your school to take part in our FREE Back-to-School Kindness Assembly and join schools across the UK taking part in the Great British Skip!
Friday 18th September | 🕘 9.15am | ⏱️ 25 minutes
We'd like to highlight a fantastic training opportunity for schools. This webinar takes place in September, and with everyone preparing for the summer break, we encourage schools to book their places now to secure attendance before the holidays begin!
Practical Strategies to Create Belonging and Inclusion
Headstart is excited to invite TIS UK to deliver a free webinar suitable for all staff in Education Settings.
Wednesday 30th September 2026, 3.30 - 5pm online via Zoom
Create a school culture where every child feels valued, connected and able to thrive. This inspiring and practical training explores evidence-based approaches to belonging and inclusion, helping staff build emotionally safe, relationally rich environments. Gain actionable strategies, real-life case studies, and tools to strengthen attendance, engagement, wellbeing and achievement. Delegates will also receive a comprehensive Belonging Audit and implementation toolkit to support lasting whole-setting change.
To support CPD within your setting, you are welcome to book one place and share the live screening on your laptop with up to 10 colleagues.
Please do let your colleagues know about this valuable opportunity, and book your place here: Training calendar : Headstart Kernow
Wellbeing book of the week
For more book suggestions on a range of topics, please visit our Headstart wellbeing book club
The Kids Who Aren’t OK – The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging and Hope in Schools – Dr Ross Greene
Blurb
From a New York Times bestselling authority on education and children’s mental health comes a groundbreaking guide to navigating classroom challenges through an approach that is aimed at meeting kids where they’re at and being responsive to the developmental variability inherent in every classroom.
Over the past two decades, a wide array of societal changes have made it much harder to be a kid. While lots of kids are still doing okay, many more than ever are not. The Kids Who Aren’t Okay opens with sobering statistics on children’s mental health: higher than ever rates of concerning behaviours at school, anxiety, depression, chronic absenteeism, and suicidality. And educators—who have never felt less safe at school, have experienced significant decreases in job satisfaction, and have left the profession in droves—aren’t doing very well, either.
Our Review
The book has lots to say about the times our children are growing up in and how it is impacting them, their families and education. It is a passionate argument for relational practice, earlier preventative work and rethinking ‘one size fits all’ approaches to wellbeing, behaviour and inclusion. The book includes practical ideas and strategies (based on his ‘Collaborative and Proactive Solutions’ Model -see our one page guides for a quick overview).
Dr Greene coined the phrase ‘Kids do well if they can…’. This book helps us understand this and offers ways to do this. CPS is one model among quite a few. The value in this book for us lies in the clarity of Dr Greene’ analysis of the need and passionate advocacy for doing this differently. Well worth a look.
This week's Headstart highlight!
Connect Card for Young People Aged 10 to 16
The Connect Card is a free resource created by young people in Cornwall for young people aged 10 to 16. The card provides quick access to advice, support, wellbeing information, activities, competitions and other useful resources through a QR code, helping young people find support when they need it. Schools and settings can order Connect Cards to distribute to pupils.
Find out more and order Connect Cards
FREE Training Opportunities for Education Settings
HeadStart Kernow has two fantastic FREE opportunities available for staff working in education settings. We'd love to share them with you and encourage you to get involved.
SPACE - Supporting Parents and Children Emotionally,
1 December - 3 December 2026 Online
Following the 3-day course with our partners at Rock Pool CIC, facilitators are equipped to deliver a five-week SPACE programme for parents and carers and/or children and young people within their own settings, helping to strengthen relationships, connections and emotional wellbeing across the school community. Please see the attached for more information.
Spaces are limited, therefore if you would like to register your interest, please do so as soon as you can by emailing space@cornwall.gov.uk
TIS UK Webinar, Practical Strategies to Create Belonging and Inclusion
Wednesday, 30th September 2026, 3.30 - 5pm Online
Create a school culture where every child feels valued, connected and able to thrive. This inspiring and practical training explores evidence-based approaches to belonging and inclusion, helping staff build emotionally safe, relationally rich environments. Gain actionable strategies, real-life case studies, and tools to strengthen attendance, engagement, wellbeing and achievement. Delegates will also receive a comprehensive Belonging Audit and implementation toolkit to support lasting whole-setting change. Please see attached for more information.
Please do let your colleagues know about this valuable opportunity, and book your place here: Training calendar : Headstart Kernow
The Creation Works
Drollys Storytelling Sessions for Children and Families
Monthly from Saturday 6 September, 10.30am
Drollys is a new monthly storytelling event for children aged 4 to 11 and their families at The Creation Works, Par. Featuring live storytelling, games, drawing, making and puppetry, each session brings favourite children's books and traditional tales to life while supporting literacy in a fun and engaging way.
The first session on 6 September will feature performer Laurence Pears reading Not Now Bernard, Winnie the Witch and other favourites, alongside magic tricks, fun games and a loop pedal. Sessions are free, with donations welcome.
Schools of Sanctuary Award Launching in Cornwall!
The School of Sanctuary Award recognises schools that are committed to creating a culture of welcome, inclusion and belonging for refugees, asylum seekers and all members of their community. Working towards the award helps schools strengthen inclusive practice, celebrate diversity, and empower pupils and staff to build a school environment where everyone feels safe, valued and able to thrive.
If you are interested in taking part in the award, please email Natalie Parr (Natalie.parr@cornwall.gov.uk).
Charlie Waller – Free mental health webinars
Supporting young people's resilience: Bouncing back? Or moving forward!
Wednesday 23 September, 13.30 - 14.30
Supporting young people with perfectionism: Practical strategies to build self-compassion, self-worth and wellbeing
Monday 19 October, 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Supporting young people's wellbeing online
Thursday 8 October, 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Past webinar recordings are freely available too – well worth a look.
Dr Pooky Knightsmith
When anxiety flares, a child's thinking brain goes offline. That isn't a child being difficult, it's a body doing what bodies do when they sense a threat, and you can't reason a child out of it. What helps is having something small and specific to reach for in the moment, and then a plan for next time. I'll be sharing ideas for just that..
I'll spend 45 minutes on the practical stuff, ten tools small enough to use in an ordinary classroom or kitchen:
- Breathing, grounding and muscle relaxation for settling the body
- Coping statements a child will actually use
- Worry planning, and how to put a worry down for now
- What to do with fizzing energy that won't sit still
- How to build from what already works for a child
Tuesday 22nd September, 6pm BST, live on Zoom. 90 minutes total.
Cost £20, and everyone who registers gets the recording afterwards as well as the slides and the notes.
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