Bromley Heath Infant School

Wellbeing

At Bromley Heath Infant School it is central to our beliefs that academic, creative and social excellence is only attainable when we feel secure, happy and valued. It is therefore our priority that all pupils are supported and nurtured throughout their time with us.

The relationship your child builds with their class teacher and teaching assistant will be a special one, and they will be the first person to share any exciting news or concerns you or your child may have.

We also have a parent link worker, Mrs Julie Bettesworth, who is able to provide advice, and signpost you to support groups and agencies, should you or your child require it.

Caring for your child

We have two trained paediatric first aiders and a fantastic team of lunch-break supervisors who deal with minor accidents. But, as we encourage an active lifestyle, there is inevitably the odd scrape or bump. These will be dealt with in a calm and caring manner by our team.

If there is a more serious accident, we will make every effort to contact you. However, if we are unable to contact you immediately we will take any action we feel necessary; for example taking your child to the doctor or hospital.

Occasionally children become ill at school; if this happens parents will be contacted to arrange for them to go home. In cases of sickness and diarrhoea we ask you to keep your child home for 48hours after the last bout of sickness, even if they seem better, as this is very infectious.

It is essential that parents keep their contact details up to date in case of accident or illness.

Medicines

We endeavour to support children with long term medical needs, and if necessary, will administer prescribed medication upon the completion of an ‘administration of medication form’; although we ask parents to try and organise medications outside of the school day, wherever possible. Please Note: We are only able to administer medication if it is prescribed by a doctor and its for 4 times a day.

Children with Asthma will have access to their inhalers throughout the day but it is parent’s responsibility to ensure that the inhalers are in date.

Short term medicines, to complete a course of treatment, will also be administered on completion of the above form.

All medicines to be administered in school must be delivered to the school office in their original bottle or container with the child’s name, dosage and be in date. Non prescribed medicines will not be administered in school.

ELSA

Information for Parents/Carers

Mrs Pearce is our ELSA at BHI. An ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) is a member of staff trained to support children in the development of their emotional literacy.

What is emotional literacy?

  • Understanding and coping with feelings about ourselves and others.
  • Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others.
  • Being emotionally literate helps children to be calmer, possibly happier and to focus better on their learning.

 Some of the areas the ELSA may work on:

  • Recognising emotions
  • Self-esteem
  • Social skills
  • Friendship skills
  • Anger management
  • Loss and Bereavement

How does the ELSA work?

  • A regular slot during the school week for 30-45 minutes.
  • Sessions can be individual or in a small group and tailored to the child’s individual needs.
  • Sessions are fun and might include role-play, puppets, board games, art and craft and stories.
  • They include time for talk.
  • A pupil’s progress will be reviewed on a half-termly basis.

As a Parent/Carer, how can you help?

  • By informing the class teacher if there are any issues that may be affecting your child.

The ELSA staff in school have a wealth of experience working with children and are trained and regularly supervised by an Educational Psychologist in the LA. They work closely with all of the teaching staff to nurture and support children across our school, enabling them to be the best they can be, both socially and emotionally.  Please feel welcome to contact the class teacher or ELSA if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

​Sand Tray Conversations

Mrs Henderson, one of our teaching assistants, is trained in providing sand tray conversations with children who may be experiencing some emotional or mental health differences. Sand tray conversations aims to create a safe and friendly space where feelings can be expressed creatively, both verbally and non- verbally, through play. The sessions are child led and involves the use of play figures or “archetypes” which the child selects themselves, creating miniature worlds to explore in the sand tray. 

If you have any further questions about the sand tray conversations, then please do contact Mrs Henderson directly via the school email address.