At George Tomlinson we believe that all children deserve quality first teaching and access to an environment in which they feel safe, nurtured and supported. A child’s social, emotional and mental health influences cognitive development and learning as well as physical health into adulthood. Learning how to cope with stress of all levels is an important part of development and is most effective when taught from the early years.

Throughout our lives we are all on a continuum of mental health and wellbeing and will need different levels of support at different times. We recognise that as a school, we are in a unique position to offer this support and teach our children strategies to overcome the challenges they may face.

Additionally, we recognise that in order to provide the best education possible for our pupils, we have a responsibility create and environment which values mental health across all levels of our school so that our teachers and senior leaders become role models of Mental Health for the children in our care.

At GT our vision is to create an environment of positive well-being by:

• Developing environment in which everyone within our school community feels valued and respected.
• Teaching our children to understand the importance of their mental health and well-being as well as how to look after it and identify when they need support.
• Ensuring we have effective strategies in place to identify need and appropriate support.
• Empowering parents to understand and meet the needs of their child’s mental health.

At George Tomlinson we have a wide provision that supports the different needs of our families. Miss Huff is our Mental Health and Well being Lead teacher. 

All our staff have had emotional regulation training and we work closely with a range of agencies to support pupils in need. All our staff have 1st Aid training. 

Our school nurse is in school every 2 weeks. If you would like to make an appointment with the nurse please speak to the front office. 

Waltham forest offer webinars regarding Mental health and well-being. Please see below for more information 

Place2Be works in George Tomlinson 1 day a week, providing child counselling and mental health support for children, parents and staff.  We have a dedicated Place2Be mental health professional who is an integral part of our school team. They work closely with pupils, families and staff to improve emotional wellbeing and provide mental health support for the whole school.

The Waltham Forest Mental Health Support Team (MHST) work with small groups of children, parents and significant adults in school every Monday. 

Please find below two letters from MHST explaining who they are and what they provide.

If you would like to make an appointment to meet the team or have any questions please speak to your child’s teacher, Mrs Angeletos or Miss Huff. 

Helpful Books:

Starving the Anxiety Gremlin – Kate Collins-Donnelly 

Helping your Child with Fears and Worries: A self-help guide for parents - Creswell and Willetts 

What to do When You Worry Too Much - Dawn Huebner & Bonnie Matthews 

Gilly the Giraffe Self-Esteem Activity Book: A Therapeutic Story with Creative Activities for Children Aged 5-10 - Karen Treisman 

My Feelings and Me: A Child's Guide to Understanding Emotions – Poppy O’Neill 

No Worries! Mindful Kids – Dr Sharie Coombes 

CBT for Young People: The Complete CBT Workbook for Kids, Children, Teens, and Adolescents: Improve Mental Health, Overcome Anxiety, Depression, Low Self-esteem, Anger, and Develop Emotional Regulation – Alison Triste 

What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety – Dawn Huebner 

Facing Mighty Fears About Trying New Things – Dawn Huebner 

I Am Stronger Than Anger: Picture Book About Anger Management And Dealing With Kids Emotions And Feelings (Preschool Feelings Book, Self-Regulation Skills) – Elizabeth Cole 

Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival 

The Huge Bag of Worries – Virginia Ironside 

The Invisible String – Patrice Karst 

Breathing is My Superpower: Mindfulness Book for Kids to Feel Calm and Peaceful – Alicia Ortego 

Sitting Still Like a Frog Activity Book: 75 Mindfulness Games for Kids – Eline Snel 

Listening to My Body: A guide to helping kids understand the connection between their sensations (what the heck are those?) and feelings so that they can get better at figuring out what they need – Gabi Garcia 

The Colour Monster: The Feelings Doctor and the Emotions Toolkit – Anna Llenas 

Daisy’s Dragons – Frances Stickley and Annabel Tempest