Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH)

What are SEMH needs?

We all have mental health. Mental health can change and fluctuate depending on circumstances and experiences. The World Health Organisation describes emotional and mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively… and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’.

When we talk about children and young people having ‘emotional and mental health needs’, we usually mean children and young people who do not feel they can cope with life and/or enjoy things, and who may not be able to achieve their potential in learning and developing. The SEN Code of Practice 2015 also adds the word ‘social’ to this definition, to include that sometimes feelings and behaviours in children and young people are linked to their ‘social’ life: what’s going on in their family, with their friends, and in the community they live in.

How might SEMH needs arise?

SEMH needs can sometimes arise from unmet or complex neurodevelopmental needs, for example: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Tourette’s syndrome; and Autism. 

SEMH needs can sometimes arise from a child or young person’s experiences and how these have been responded to and supported by others. Some children may have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which, depending on support systems and prevalence, can increase stress and stress responses. There are other experiences such as bereavement, loss, health needs and traumatic events which can impact on wellbeing and these can be ongoing for several years after a particular event. For many children their prior educational experiences have led to trauma as the environment or challenges of the mainstream school have negatively affected them.

What is the relationship between behaviour and SEMH?

When children and young people persistently behave in a challenging way this is often a way of communicating that something is wrong. It is a sign that they are dysregulated or in distress.

Some children and young people get stuck in patterns of challenging behaviour and struggle to develop strategies they can use to feel calmer. It can be difficult for a child or young person to change their coping strategies when the circumstances and needs behind their behaviours remain the same.

Children and young people need to have coping behaviours modelled and supported by empathetic and attuned or ‘emotionally available’ adults.

How do we support SEMH needs at the Ridge Academy?

At The Ridge Academy we look at each child very much as an individual with individual needs. SEMH doesn't ever have one single need at the base of it, we use our experience and training to interpret a child's behaviour as communication of their underlying needs.

All our staff have comprehensive training to understand the impact of trauma, whether from: their environmental context; or because of having unmet needs in previous schools/provisions; or from the environment of a school being overwhelming because of sensory or social experiences or pressures. All of our staff have training in Trauma Informed practices, Emotion coaching, Restorative practices, Sensory processing differences, Speech, Language and Communication Needs, Autism, ADHD, etc. and many other specific tools and strategies that allow us to create classrooms and approaches for our pupils to thrive.

We use whole school practice to keep social and emotional development at the forfront of everything we do. We have an whole school book each term which is read by the whole class and introduced through assesmblies by the Principal. Each week the school is presented with new social emotional challenges linked to the characteristics talked about in the book, for example: 'The Lion Inside' by Rachel Bright which focusses on self-esteem and self-confidence; 'We are all neighbours' by Alexandra Penfold which focusses on celebration of cultural diversity, belonging and community; and 'Stuck' by Oliver Jeffers which focusses on persistence, creativity, and problem-solving.

Through our consistent boundaried approach we use fun and our most important tool our relationships to support our pupils with their needs allowing them to succeed in a safe space.

We use the following theories/practices to support our children:

Trauma-Informed Practice

Trauma-informed practice is an approach to education interventions which is grounded in the understanding that trauma exposure can impact an individual’s neurological, biological, psychological and social development. 

Trauma-informed practice aims to increase awareness of how trauma can negatively impact on individuals and communities, and their ability to feel safe or develop trusting relationships with the school and staff.

It aims to improve the accessibility and quality of education by creating a culturally sensitive, safe school that people trust and want to use. It seeks to prepare school staff to work in collaboration and partnership with children and their families and empower them to make choices about their health and wellbeing.

Trauma-informed practice acknowledges the need to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours and to ask, ‘What does this person need?’ rather than ‘What is wrong with this person?’.

Neurosequential Model

The Neurosequential Model is a developmentally-informed, biologically-respectful approach.

The Neurosequential Model is a classroom-based approach to support school staff and children to learn more about brain development and the impact of developmental trauma on a child’s ability to function in a classroom. According to Dr. Bruce Perry, unless our interventions match the brain areas affected by early life adversity, they are unlikely to be successful. This is why it is important the sequence of educationally based therapeutic activities is underpinned by the three R’s: Regulate, Relate then Reason.

The key piece of learning from this model is that a human brain cannot learn or interact appropriately if it is not regulated.

Emotion Coaching

Emotion Coaching, defined by Gottman, 1997, is based on the principle that nurturing and emotionally supportive relationships provide optimal contexts for the promotion of children's outcomes and resilience.  

Emotion Coaching uses moments of heightened emotion and resulting behaviour to guide and teach the child and young person about more effective responses. Through empathetic engagement, the child's emotional state is verbally acknowledged and validated, promoting a sense of security and feeling 'felt'. This activates changes in the child's neurological system and allows the child to calm down, physiologically and psychologically.

PACE approach, PACE stands for Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. 

PACE is a way of thinking, feeling, communicating and behaving that aims to make children feel safe. It is particularly effective in meeting the needs of children who have experienced trauma. Developed by clinical psychologist, Dan Hughes, the approach focuses on building trusting relationships, emotional connections, containment and a sense of security. 

The principles offer a useful framework from which we can develop attunement and strengthen our relationships with the children and young people we work with.

Playfulness:

Acceptance:

Curiosity:

Empathy:

Restorative Approach

Restorative Approach is value–based and needs–led. Restorative Practice is a 'way of being' where the focus is on building strong, meaningful, trusting and respectful 'relationships', and repairing relationships when difficulties or harm arises.  This leads to a cohesive community as the foundations on which good teaching and learning can flourish. In such a community young people are given a lot of responsibility for decision-making on issues that affect their lives, their learning and their experience of school. Restorative Approaches build upon the basic principles and values of humanistic psychology: