At Shotton Primary School all staff understand and appreciate the importance of children having high self esteem and positive emotional well being. Pupils are given a high level of pastoral and social support in a variety of ways. We pride ourselves in being a happy centered school which focuses on the emotional well being and development of all of our pupils.  

Pupil’s social and emotional well-being and development are of vital importance to staff, to ensure safety and engagement.  We are a Happy Centred School and have invested in becoming a certified school with the National Online Safety Centre. We have also adopted the Zones of Regulation scheme to support our children in understanding and exploring their emotions.  

Through the Happy Centred Schools Programme we explore the 5 core themes of happiness:  

• Self-confidence  
• Achievement & Success 
• Positive Relationships 
• Support  
• Coping Skills 

All children in KS2 have a designated weekly Happy Schools PSHCE lesson.  

Some of our children may well benefit from exploring these core themes of happiness within a small, nurture group. 

All children in KS1 and some children in KS2, have 2 weekly designated times to discuss emotions and feelings in a zones of regulation lesson.  

Another important means by which we can actively promote the emotional well being and social development of our children, from Early Years through to Year 6 is through our newly developed online safety education programme, with The National Online Safety Centre. It links explicitly to 'Education for a Connected World' (February 2018) and the 8 core themes of  

• Self-image and Identity  
• Online relationships  
• Online reputation  
• Online bullying  
• Managing online information  
• Health, well-being and lifestyle  
• Privacy and security   
• Copyright and ownership  

Throughout the year we will have 3 full days dedicated to online safety and to help equip children with the knowledge, understanding and skills to build resilience and promote the development of safe and appropriate long term behaviours. 

We are able to provide the equivalent of 3 days of dedicated school based counselling to support our most vulnerable pupils to develop through play based, child centred therapies, tools to improve their resilience, emotional understanding, engagement in learning and ability to deal with trauma, attachment and change (both planned and unplanned) – thus developing their emotional literacy and social skills, actively seeking to improve emotional health and mental well-being. 

Here at Shotton Primary School we treat each other with honesty, fairness and compassion, through effective communication and positive, trusting relationships, with all of our community.  

Shotton Primary School has and maintains close links with External Partnerships. 

In order to access the best professional advice, we also link with Local Authority and Private Providers of additional services, such as SALT (Speech and Language Therapists), Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), School Nursing Service, Social Services and Medical Professionals.  

We have a dedicated meeting space and often hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate. 

Children are taught in age-appropriate classes, with the same member of the staff for the majority of the school day, this enables class teachers to develop very close relationships with each child, to ensure that they are happy, secure and ready to learn on a daily basis.  

As a school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils. Pupils are rewarded for showing MAGIC powers and displaying good attitudes towards their learning. Our MAGIC powers are very much focused upon developing character: 

• Motivation 
• Attitude 
• Gumption 
• I Learn 
• Communication 

Children with medical needs are catered for in the same way with, if necessary, designated people to deal with any physical or emotional difficulty that we can. Staff are trained in first aid and identified staff administer medicine within school following the appropriate County guidelines. The school has a policy regarding the administration and managing of medicines on the school site. Parents need to contact the school to discuss this and if agreed complete a form: ‘Parental Agreement for School to Administer Medicines’. School also uses the ‘Operoo’ system, to enable parents to update medical information quickly and easily.