Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health Support Team
At St. Martin's, we are committed to supporting our whole school community’s positive mental health and well-being. We recognise that mental health and emotional wellbeing is just as important to our lives as physical health.
We endeavour to ensure that children can manage times of change and stress. We aim to ensure that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. We also have a role in ensuring that children learn about: what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health, how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and where they can go if they need help or support.
At our school, we aim to promote positive mental health and well-being for our whole school community; pupils, staff, parents and carers, and recognise how important mental health and emotional well-being is to our lives in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement.
Mrs Jenkins is the Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) and has the strategic oversight of the approach to mental health and wellbeing across the school. Her responsibilities include working with professionals and agencies to support mental health and well-being. At St Martin’s we work cohesively to create a supportive and nurturing environment for both students and staff, whether through one-to-one sessions or group activities, we foster a safe and empathetic space for pupils to express themselves and develop essential emotional skills.
We work in collaboration with the Mental Health Support Team (MHST), CAMHS, Educational Psychologists and Primary Mental Health Workers. This comprehensive network underscores our dedication to creating a supportive and flourishing environment for the well-being of our whole school community.
If you would like more information please see Mrs Jenkins or if you are concerned about your child’s mental health, you can use the MHST online referral form. Please click here for the form.
Please see below for further information and useful websites.
Websites
NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/
PLACE TO BE: https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/parents-and-carers/
Anna Freud national Centre for Children and Families: https://www.annafreud.org/resources/family-wellbeing/
Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/racism-and-mental-health/
The Mental Health Support Team support the mental health of children and young people in Reading schools. They offer the following courses for parents:
Children's Mental Health Awareness Week - Monday 9th Feb- Sunday 15th February 2026
The official theme for Children's Mental Health Week 2026 is 'This is My Place'
We know that our sense of belonging as individuals, in our friendships, in school, and in communities plays a vital role in our mental health and wellbeing.
To know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need. It can have powerful and long-lasting impacts in lots of areas of our lives, including our physical and mental health, education, employment and relationships. When we feel that we belong, it empowers us to contribute to the world and make a real difference.
This year, Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week will aim to support the groups and systems surrounding our children. We'll encourage peers, families, schools and communities to create inclusive and nurturing environments, where children and young people feel they belong and can say "This is My Place".
In school we explore this theme over the week, concentrating on friendship and belonging. Place2Be also offer activities for families:
Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) run regular termly virtual parent workshops, aimed at primary school aged children, on helping your child with fears and worries. It is based on the book: ‘Overcoming your child’s worries and fears’ by Cathy Cresswell and Lucy Willetts. The group is a 2.5 hour online workshop – a “whistle stop tour” of key principles for parents.
In addition, in response to increasing demand for support for children with autism and anxiety, the EPS delivers a further parental workshop, aimed at parents of children who have been recognised as autistic, who have autism “traits” or who are awaiting a diagnosis, and are experiencing anxiety. The aim of this workshop to understand some of the differences in thinking styles of children with autism and why this can make them more prone to anxiety - in particular, intolerance of uncertainty. It pulls together information from a range of sources and offers practical strategies for support. The group is a 2.5 hour online workshop – a “whistle stop tour” of key principles for parents.
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Helping your child with fears and worries parent workshop |
Autism and anxiety parent workshop
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• Child is aged 5-12 years. • Anxiety is the primary presenting concern in the child and the anxiety presents at home. • The degree of anxiety is mild/moderate (not severe) – it is having an impact on the child’s life - for example the child is starting to avoid situations that lead to anxiety, like social situations. • The approaches in the workshop are designed to help with “irrational” fears, for example, specific phobias (dogs, school phobia etc…), separation anxiety, generalised anxiety. • It is not designed for children whose anxiety is due to trauma (eg: domestic violence), PTSD, bereavement, sensory overload. • Parent or child is not currently receiving any other kind of support for their anxiety (eg: at CAMHS or the AnDY clinic). • The programme is not targeted at children with a diagnosis of autism or those with autism traits. • The programme is not suitable for children who are non-verbal. |
• Child is aged 6 – 16 years. • The child has been recognised as autistic, has autism “traits” or is awaiting a diagnosis, and are experiencing anxiety. • The degree of anxiety is mild/moderate (not severe) – it is having an impact on the child’s life - for example the child is starting to avoid situations that lead to anxiety, like social situations. • The approaches in the workshop are designed to help with intolerance of uncertainty and to developing coping strategies to better manage worries about the unknown. • It is not designed for children whose anxiety is due to trauma (eg: domestic violence), PTSD or bereavement. • Parent or child is not currently receiving any other kind of support for their anxiety (eg: at CAMHS or the AnDY clinic). • The programme is not suitable for children who are non-verbal. |
Here are the session dates planned for the year. All sessions are 9:30 – 12:00:
“Helping your child with fears and worries” workshop
- 04.02.26.
- 09.07.26.
“Autism and anxiety” workshop
- 17.03.26.
- 17.06.26.
Sessions will be via Teams. We have capacity for around 4 – 10 participants each session.
If parents are interested, they should email Wilma Williams email: wilma.williams@reading.gov.uk and include: their name, email and phone number (for contact – they will be emailed a Teams link) and their child’s age and school. Please also state which of the dates for the course they can make, and whether they have a preferred date – so we can allocate spaces.
Information also available on the SEND Local Offer Reading Directory | Helping your child with fears and worries parent workshop and Reading Directory | Support for children with autism and anxiety
Beam Wellbeing
Beam Welleing offer school-based individual and group work sessions to support the emotional needs of children and young people.
