Gwyn Jones Primary School

Our vision is to create a nurturing and inclusive school environment where all members of our community – children, staff, and families – feel valued, safe, supported, and empowered to thrive emotionally and mentally. At Gwyn Jones Primary School, emotional wellbeing and mental health are central to everything we do. We recognise that high levels of wellbeing are linked to improved learning outcomes and believe that every child should be supported to reach their full potential.

We believe that wellbeing is the foundation for learning, growth, and personal development. Through a whole-school approach, we foster a culture of kindness, respect, and openness – where every voice is heard and every individual need is considered. By prioritising mental health, we aim to build a resilient, compassionate community where everyone can flourish, now and into the future.

For our pupils, we embed social and emotional learning across the curriculum from Nursery through to Year 6. We include explicit teaching of emotional literacy, resilience, and coping strategies through PSHE, stories, and oracy lessons to explore emotions and relationships. We foster a welcoming and supportive environment where children feel valued and respected, and have opportunities to take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities – from sports to the arts – that support their wellbeing.

We also recognise that the wellbeing of our staff is essential to creating a thriving school community. We are committed to supporting the emotional health of our staff by promoting a positive, respectful workplace culture where everyone feels listened to and appreciated. We value a healthy work-life balance, ensuring workloads are manageable and that staff have access to professional wellbeing training and resources, opportunities for collaboration, and time for rest and recovery. When staff feel respected, supported, and fulfilled, they are better able to inspire and nurture the children in their care.

At Gwyn Jones, we believe that by looking after the wellbeing of every member of our school family – pupils, staff, and families alike – we create the conditions for everyone to succeed and feel a genuine sense of belonging.

Our Approach to Wellbeing

At Gwyn Jones Primary school, the wellbeing of every child is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, supported and valued.  We take a whole school approach to wellbeing, embedding kindness, respect and resilience into everyday learning. Our staff are trained to support children’s emotional and social development, ensuring that every child feels seen, heard and cared for.  

How do we support social and emotional development at Gwyn Jones Primary school? 

We work in partnership with Place2be, a leading children’s mental health charity, to support the wellbeing of our pupils.  Place2be provides emotional and therapeutic support, helping the children to explore their feelings, build resilience and thrive both in and out of the classroom. 

 We have a counselor from Place2be, twice a week and the children are able to access:

•  One-to-One Counselling: Weekly sessions with a qualified mental health professional, helping children to work through challenges such as anxiety, friendships, family issues, or changes at home.

• Place2Talk: A lunchtime drop-in service where children can self-refer to talk confidentially about any worries or concerns.

• Group Work: Targeted group sessions that focus on developing emotional literacy, self-esteem, and social skills.

Along with working with Place2be, we also provide nurture support in the form of small group sessions to help children develop confidence, self esteem and emotional skills. All staff at Gwyn Jones are dedicated to the wellbeing of all the pupils and share information with the pastoral care team to ensure children’s needs are met.