Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

At Brooke Priory, whilst academic excellence will always be our focus, we are a very nurturing, family-oriented school. Wellbeing will always be a high priority for our children, supported by an extensive sports programme, together with a thriving music and creative arts department allows us to focus on the ‘whole child’.

The first layer of wellbeing support is the positive relationships that exist between our class teachers and children. A unique level of trust and understanding fosters outstanding relationships. In addition, we are very proud of the wellbeing provision that we have in place for the children in our school and our belief of course that ‘a happy child is a healthy and learning child’. Key staff such as a Wellbeing lead, ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) support and SEN (Special Educational Needs) coordinator are crucial to supporting and protecting our pupil’s wellbeing and mental health and are immediately on hand should the need arise.

We have a range of tools at our disposal which can be blended creatively into the school day ranging from wellbeing walks, talking therapy or 1:1 time with our trained specialists.

ELSA – Emotional Literacy Support 

Brooke Priory was one of the first independent schools to recognise the benefits of animal therapy. Elsie who is a beautiful cockapoo, is our ELSA dog and also a bit of a school mascot! Elsie joins our ELSA specialist where she sits quietly so that the children can stroke her; she is a great discussion point for the children allowing them to relax and talk openly about their feelings. Other techniques such as Drawing and Talking therapy and Lego therapy are also used and each personalised to suit the child. Duncan explains, “All children are different and respond in varying ways to intervention tools, this is why having a range of available options allows us to meet the needs of the individual rather than a one size fits all approach”

A more recent initiative was the creation of a sensory room. This gives the children a tranquil and calm environment to regulate their emotions and “tap in” to their sensory needs.

“Quality time in our sensory room helps our children improve their visual, auditory and tactile processing, as well as fine and gross motor skills. By providing a quiet space with a sense of calm and comfort helps our children learn to self-regulate their behaviours, which ultimately improves their overall focus”

SEN – Special Educational Needs support

There are times in any child’s education when they may find something more of a challenge, whether it be in Maths, English or Sport. We pride ourselves at Brooke Priory in offering an inclusive education.

Our teachers are very quick to identify a pupil who may be experiencing a difficulty in grasping a concept or retaining key knowledge in a particular area of learning. Should this be the case, the child will receive support in class from their class teacher or experienced Learning Support Assistant; and the teacher may initiate an additional learning plan which could enable the child to progress. If a difficulty persists, then the class teacher will raise a concern with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who can offer more strategies and ideas along with input from parents/guardians. Parents/guardians are vital in offering shared knowledge and will be involved at all stages in any SEN plan to support their child’s learning.

Often, with a different strategy, the difficulty will be overcome by the child, however sometimes they may continue to find things tricky. If the latter is the case, at this stage the school may seek further advice and request a specialist assessment to identify any learning difference. Any assessment would be undertaken with the view to making the curriculum accessible for your child and to be able continue to teach them in our inclusive classrooms.

At any stage of identifying a learning difference, parents/guardians will be involved, and the individual pupil will offer their voice too. We will work collaboratively to best meet the individual needs of the pupil and offer them the best opportunities for learning at Brooke Priory. 

Wellbeing at Brooke Priory

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