We prioritise the mental health and well being of our whole school community.  As part of our pastoral care provision we have a wide range of services and approaches we can offer to our pupils.  

These include:

- Lego Based Therapy

- Drawing and Talking Therapy

- Use of our school sensory room

- School counselling service

- Safer Schools App - training and support with all things online 

- Specific programmes to target emotional health and well being through use of external services e.g. RISE and REACH

- Nurture breakfast club

- After schools Nurture club

- Mental health and well being programmes e.g. offered through a range of agencies/charities e.g. AwareNI

- Referrals to the Family Support Hub 

In school we have two trained mental health first aiders - Mrs M Savage (Learning Supoort Coordinator) and Mrs S Burns (VP) who is also an EA Well Being Champion.  All staff have accessed training in the area of mental health and well being and are proactive in supporting your child in school.                             

We also want to be able to support you as parents/carers and we can offer support and strategies as well as sign post you to external services.  Additional information can be found on our Family Support Information page:

https://www.dundonaldprimaryschool.net/family-support-information/

Please get in touch if we can support your child or you as a parent/carer with any pastoral concern by contacting Mrs Burns via email sburns528@c2kni.net or by calling in to the office to arrange a face to face meeting.

All of our Foundation Stage staff, teaching assistants and our Learning Support Staff have been trained in Lego Based Therapy in connection with Mindwise and Calm with Carole.  Our Vice Principal and Learning Support Coordinator have also been trained. We currently offer this therapy to individual children, groups of children and as an after schools activity.

Drawing and Talking Therapy

Our Vice Principal is a qualified Drawing and Talking therapist and as a school

we offer this support to pupils on a 1-1 basis.

Drawing and Talking is a therapeutic intervention for children and adults. Through a 12-week cycle of sessions this non-intrusive tool allows children and young people to bring what they need to their sessions. Utilising drawing as a way to help them express their feelings differently in ordinary verbal language. The Drawing and Talking therapeutic approach allows individuals to discover and communicate emotions through a non-directed technique.