If your child is on our SEND register, we would be grateful if you would complete the following feedback questionnaire.
Thank you for helping us develop our SEND provision:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPBim43JBraBHOm5nchKuKyiO-eeTEGfeYoKzZUbkHSk6GPg/viewform
Skylarks is an independent Richmond upon Thames-based charity that provides activities and therapies for children with disabilities and additional needs based at the Crossway Centre in Richmond. Please click on this link for more information and to make bookings. info@skylarks.charity
The Child Mind Institute - a respected, non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting children’s mental health and learning - has just released its list of the Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health of 2025. Their team of clinicians carefully reviews each book to ensure it is both accurate and genuinely helpful for children.
The list includes stories for all ages, from picture books to graphic novels and young adult reads. The featured titles explore a range of experiences, such as managing anxiety at school, navigating big feelings about body image, and coping with grief. There are also links to previous award-winning books, helpful articles on how children learn to read (including support for dyslexia), and a video series that teaches simple, age-appropriate coping strategies for younger children.
If you’re looking for thoughtful, well-vetted books to support your child’s emotional wellbeing - or simply to spark conversations at home - this is a wonderful place to start:
https://childmind.org/article/the-best-kids-books-about-mental-health-of-2025/
Bea’s Bad Day - A gentle story about big feelings and how to cope with them.
The Worry Monster - A picture book that helps children understand and manage worry and anxiety.
I Am a Peaceful Goldfish - Teaches playful breathng techniques and helps children learn calming strategies for anxiety and overwhelming emotions.
Invisible Isabel - A sensitive story about feeling different and dealing with social and emotional challenges.
Unstuck - A relatable book for children dealing with emotional struggles or anxiety about school or relationships.
Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of primary-aged children. The ‘Helping Children with …’ series of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by children and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their children with these difficulties. Below is a list of webinars on offer over the coming months.
The ‘Helping children with worries and anxiety’ webinar will help you learn ways to support your child in dealing with their big feelings, worries, and fears. This webinar will give you practical ideas on how to help your child to think more positively and develop their self confidence. You will also be introduced to some helpful cognitive behavioural therapy concepts.
Tuesday 20th January, 6pm
In this webinar we will learn how to support our children develop their friendship skills: learning to communicate better, repair difficulties, and negotiate solutions when relationships between peers are tricky.
Thursday 20th November, 9am or Tuesday 27th January, 6pm
Children often communicate their needs through their behaviours. The ‘Helping children with challenging behaviours’ webinar will help you to learn about the different factors that can impact children's behaviours, build or strengthen positive relationships by reinforcing the importance of giving positive attention. You will also learn strategies to establish home rules and boundaries to create a safe and structured environment for your children.
Tuesday 3rd February, 6pm
In this webinar we discuss the positive and negative impact of screen time and gaming on a child's mental wellbeing. We will share the recommendations for screen time based on age, how to have this conversation with your child in a positive and effective manner and a simple and effective way to manage the use of screens in your home.
Tuesday 13th January, 6pm
In this webinar we will explore what self-esteem is, how low self-esteem can develop and be maintained, and will introduce some practical techniques to support you to improve your child’s low self-esteem.
Thursday 27th November, 9am or Tuesday 10th February, 6pm
In this webinar we will explore the main worries children may experience when moving from primary to secondary school. We will help parents/carers think about the different ways to help to support and get their children prepared for the transition.
Thursday 7th May, 9am or Tuesday 19th May, 6pm
All Webinars are 60 minutes long, with 15 minutes at the end for questions and answers.
Parents and carers can sign up to the webinars here.
The Mental Health Support Team (MHST) is a schools-based service, supporting children, young people and parents’
emotional wellbeing in a range of ways.
We work with children and young people, from the age of
5 to 18, who experience difficulties with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. These can be common for lots of young people and might include sadness, feeling low, anxiety or low self-esteem.
In primary schools, we also offer parents individual guided self-help sessions based on cognitive behaviour therapy principles, either around supporting their child to manage anxiety, or behaviour that challenges.
● parent webinars on a range of topics
● coffee mornings based at your child’s school
● staff workshops and support
● group work, assemblies and workshops to promote
emotional wellbeing
To self-refer, please follow the link below to complete a short online form:
Mental Health Support - Self Referral - Achieving for Children