Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Times are tough for many people right now. Parents/carers are finding themselves pulled in many different directions and children may be struggling being in the house for so much longer than usual.

A mixture of concern about Covid, working from home and children learning at home, along with a possible financial impact makes for a stressful household.

Young Minds have created a useful ‘Supporting Parents Helpfinder’. By answering six questions, parents/carers can find out how to support their child’s mental health during the pandemic (and beyond).

https://youngminds.org.uk/supporting-parents-helpfinder/

The Ripley Academy is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all our students and we have a wealth of resources to share with you.

The following links are designed to provide you with practical advice on areas of concern that sometimes can cause parents and carers anxiety or stress when supporting their teenager.

Remember that if you have any particular concerns regarding your child’s emotional health and wellbeing, please contact enquiries@ripleyacademy.org to be put in touch with your child’s Head of Year or Student Support Co-Ordinator. If you have a safeguarding concern or query at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us and ask for the Designated Safeguarding Lead & SENCO, Mr S. Kingsland, Assistant Headteacher.

The range of links and resources outlined on this page is by no means exhaustive. We would welcome feedback and recommendations of additional information that parents and carers have themselves found useful and supportive.

The following website is an excellent directory of local and national links and resources to support you and your family.

derbyandderbyshireemotionalhealthandwellbeing.uk/

Should you wish to provide any feedback please email enquiries@ripleyacademy.org and title your email EHWB Web Page.

Thank you for your continued support with keeping our children safe and happy.

Help and advice for parents/carers can be found using the link below.

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/

The school nurses can be found using the link below:

http://www.derbyshireschoolnurses.org.uk/

Coronavirus Advice

Government guidance on supporting young people during the coronavirus outbreak

What you need to know

Child Protection

If you have any safeguarding concerns at all about a child, please contact enquiries@ripleyacademy.org or call reception on 01773 746334 and ask to speak with any of our Designated Safeguarding Leads:

Mr Kingsland – Assistant Headteacher

Mr de Rijk – Head of School

Mrs Fidler – Head of SEND

Mrs Taylor – Head of Sixth Form

Please find our Child Protection Policy at the link below.

Educate Against Hate

Please see the link below for more information on this

Educate Against Hate

Eating Disorders

Our Student Support Team, Mrs. Zoe Wiltshire, Mrs Cherie Pitt and Mrs Lisa Morton, work closely with our School Nurse, Sarah Mclane, and our Medical Officer, Mrs Heather Ford, to provide effective support to those children with additional medical needs. We continue to promote healthy eating on school site and continue to seek ways to identify and support any children who we feel may need it in school.

Eating disorders are often blamed on the social pressure to be thin, as young people in particular feel they should look a certain way. However, the causes are usually more complex.

An eating disorder may be associated with biological, genetic or environmental factors combined with a particular event that triggers the disorder. There may also be other factors that maintain the illness.

At home, you are best placed to notice any changes in eating patterns or habits. Whilst this can be tricky, there are some warning signs you can look out for:

  • missing meals
  • complaining of being fat, even though they have a normal weight or are underweight
  • repeatedly weighing themselves and looking at themselves in the mirror
  • making repeated claims that they’ve already eaten, or they’ll shortly be going out to eat somewhere else and avoiding eating at home
  • cooking big or complicated meals for other people, but eating little or none of the food themselves
  • only eating certain low-calorie foods in your presence, such as lettuce or celery
  • feeling uncomfortable or refusing to eat in public places, such as at a restaurant
  • the use of “pro-anorexia” websites

Please follow the links below for some further information and advice.

For information about good Diet and Nutrition, follow the link(s) below:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-eatwell-guide/

Anxiety

We are aware of the impact anxiety can have on a young person’s development and confidence. It is not uncommon to feel anxious; it is a perfectly normal emotion. Sometimes, however, young people are not equipped with the tools themselves to manage this emotion, letting their anxiety override rational thought and interfere with their emotional health and wellbeing.

It is therefore so important to understand what causes anxiety in your child, and that we help them to manage it effectively so that it does not affect their daily lives.

Please follow the links below for further information and advice.

Anxiety

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/conditions/anxiety/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_tT1pNTj3wIVT7ftCh3L8AnHEAAYASAAEgJnLvD_BwE

Growth Mindset

CEOP Safety Centre

CEOP helps any child or young person under the age of 18 who is being pressured, forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity of any kind. This can be something that has taken place either online or in ‘the real world’, or both. The CEOP Safety Centre has clear information and advice on what can be reported to CEOP, the reporting process and what will happen if you do decide to make a report. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the Click CEOP button.

If you are experiencing online bullying or something else online has worried you please speak to an adult you trust, or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk.

CEOP is a command of the National Crime Agency and is dedicated to tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people. CEOP helps children and young people under the age of 18 who have been forced or manipulated into taking part, or are being pressured to take part, in sexual activity of any kind. This can be both online and offline. The CEOP Safety Centre offers information and advice for children and young people, parents and carers and professionals. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by visiting here.

Online bullying or other online concerns should not be reported to CEOP and children and young people should be directed to speak to an adult they trust, and/or referred to Childline, if they would like to speak to someone about how they are feeling.

Contact Us

The Ripley Academy
Peasehill
Ripley
Derbyshire
DE5 3JQ

01773 746334

enquiries@ripleyacademy.org

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Safeguarding

If you have any safeguarding concerns relating to a child that attends The Ripley Academy, please email safeguarding@ripleyacademy.org

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