Supporting children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing is a key priority in our school. We provide a range of nurturing support in school to help children understand and manage their feelings, build resilience, and develop positive relationships. This includes ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support) sessions, Motional emotional wellbeing resources, nurturing interventions, calm spaces, use of Zones of Regulation and trusted adults who children can talk to when they need support.
We work closely with families and, where appropriate, other professionals to ensure children receive the right help at the right time. In addition to our in‑school support, we signpost parents to local Barnsley services, such as Best Start Family Hubs, Early Help, School Nursing (0–19 service) and Branching Minds/CAMHS, as well as trusted online resources including Kooth, Young Minds, and Childline. By working together, we aim to support every child’s emotional wellbeing so they feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.
If you have any concerns regarding the mental health of a pupil, please contact a member of the Safeguarding Team for support and guidance.
Motional
Motional is used in school to help support children’s emotional wellbeing and ensure they feel settled, confident, and ready to learn. It allows staff to gently check in with children, helping them to share how they are feeling and develop simple strategies to manage emotions such as worry, frustration, or nervousness. Motional supports open conversations between children and adults, helping staff to spot when a child may need extra reassurance or support. This approach helps us work proactively with families to ensure children feel supported both emotionally and academically.
ELSA
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) provides focused emotional support for children who may be finding aspects of school or everyday life challenging. Through planned, one‑to‑one or small group sessions, ELSA helps children to understand and manage their feelings, build confidence, develop friendships, and learn positive ways to cope with worries or changes. Sessions are child‑centred and supportive, giving children a safe space to talk and feel listened to. ELSA works alongside class teachers, pastoral staff, and families to ensure emotional support complements learning in the classroom and helps children feel calm, secure, and ready to learn.
Zones of Regulation
Zones of Regulation is used in school to help children understand and manage their emotions and behaviour in a clear, age‑appropriate way. Children learn to recognise different feelings, understand how these can affect their actions, and develop practical strategies to help them feel calm and ready to learn. The approach uses simple language and colour‑coded zones, making it easy for children to talk about how they are feeling and ask for help when they need it. By using Zones of Regulation consistently across the school, we support children to develop self‑awareness, emotional control, and positive coping skills that benefit both learning and everyday life.
If external support is needed, we work closely with local agencies to signpost parents/refer our pupils to get the best support in a timely manner.
Compass Be
Compass Be Mental Health Support Team (MHST) works with children, young people, and families in education settings in Barnsley. They provide free, confidential support, help and advice for pupils, students and schools for issues related to mental health and emotional wellbeing. We have regular planning meetings with the team where we can discuss individual pupils and the best route for getting appropriate support. Compass Be also come into school regularly to lead whole class sessions to support positive mental health. You can find more information here.
Barnsley CAMHS
Barnsley CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is an NHS service that supports children and young people who are experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties that are having a significant impact on their daily life. CAMHS can offer assessment, advice, and therapeutic support for issues such as anxiety, low mood, emotional regulation, and more complex mental health needs. School can complete a referral to ensure children receive help at the right level and at the right time. You can find more information
here.
