In St Oswald’s, we have implemented the use of the ROAR programme for Mental Health. We all have mental health. In our school, we recognise that good mental health and wellbeing is fundamental to making progress in school. The ROAR programme allows all people in school to use the same language and resources to express how they are feeling.

We know that this may change throughout the day, as we encounter different circumstances and challenges. We use the ROAR rainbow by asking the children to consider where they are on a scale of 1-10 (10 indicating the best possible mental health). We would encourage all parents/carers to try using the rainbow at home so that they understand it and see how useful it can be in recognising when children might need some support.

We remind the children that it is completely normal to have days when we are lower down the scale. It is okay not to feel okay. The rainbow allows us to spot patterns and then try to address frequently low scores with some kind of support. There might be patterns with certain times of the day or particular activities that become clear through regular use of the rainbow. We might try to use a different approach at times. For example:

• Get outside for fresh air and exercise to boost wellbeing
• Spend quality time connecting with loved ones
• A relaxation activity such as meditation or breathwork
• Put on a favourite piece of music or share a favourite story

Children in KS1 will start to be familiar with a character called Resilient Ralph. He is a role model to children, designed to show them how they can be resilient to life’s challenges and bounce back. Perhaps you could ask your child to think of a time when they had to be resilient and encourage these behaviours.

---

Further Support for Menthal Health & Wellbeing

Please find below a list of some useful websites which have been hand picked for parents/carers to help support children’s mental health and the wellbeing of the whole family.

If you are having issues in this area then please contact the school so that we can support in whatever way we can and signpost the best avenues for further help.

https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/ – Video guides to deal with a range of common issues with children and reading material to go with them e.g. child saying ‘no’ frequently.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/ – The UK’s leading charity dedicated to improving children’s mental health and wellbeing.

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/

https://www.place2be.org.uk/ – A children’s mental health charity running for over 25 years.

https://www.jwbridgethegap.com/ – A non-profit organisation with practical strategies and free resources for supporting emotional wellbeing.

https://happymaps.co.uk/ – Lots of advice and practical resources for different age ranges and also links to further support.

https://www.annafreud.org/ – A children’s charity with a really wide range of resources for teachers, parents and young people.

https://www.camhs-resources.co.uk/websites – Finally, an even larger list of websites for a range of circumstances, ages and needs. This list from CAHMS is really comprehensive.