Wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at Claremont. We value the mental and physical wellbeing of every member of our school community and we believe that it is only when their pastoral needs are met, that children can access the quality-first teaching that the staff provide.

There are a number of ways we support pupils in the school. We use positive reinforcement to help pupils make good behaviour choices. Please see our Positive Behaviour Policy for more details. Through our curriculum, we ensure our lessons are engaging and inspiring and promote mental health and wellbeing through our PSHE/RSHE curriculum. Please see the Creative Curriculum page for these long-term plans. 

Every week, we provide whole-school, class-based and phase assemblies which focus on our school values and allow time for children to think about and reflect on their own contribution to life at Claremont.

Physical activity is so important to mental health and wellbeing and, as a result, we use our wonderful grounds to support learning as much as we can, specifically with active Maths and English lessons, the Daily Mile and two PE lessons each week.

There is a House System at Claremont, which supports pupils to work as part of a team. Children are allocated a house in Reception (or when they join the school, if later) and stay in this house for the duration of their time here. Younger siblings are allocated to the same house as older siblings. Houses are as follows:

• Dragons (red)
• Eagles (green)
• Lions (yellow)
• Unicorns (blue)

Children participate in house activities throughout the school year, including school sporting activities. House points are awarded for good behaviour and accumulate, with houses winning treats for earning the most points. Staff members are also allocated houses and support the children on Sports Day. Year 6 children can stand for House Captain in an election process which takes place in Term 1.

There are two Pastoral Leaders who work across the school whose role is to support the wellbeing and behaviour of the pupils at Claremont. As a parent, if you have any concerns, you can contact them via the office (please see the image below for further details on our Pastoral Team).

Working alongside our Pastoral Team are a team of Mental Health First Aiders, who are trained to support children when they are finding a situation challenging. Within classrooms, the children have access to a worry box, where they can put their name or a message for the adults in their class if they have a concern they would like to talk to someone about.

At playtimes, we know that children may need more support as they learn the skills of building friendships and communication with others. For this reason, we provide a lunchtime ‘Haven’, where children in KS1 and KS2 are able to go to talk to an adult or spend time inside in a calm and peaceful environment. There is a maximum of 10 children to access each session, and this may include children who have been directed there by the pastoral team.

Children in Year 6 are also given the opportunity to train as Playground Buddies, where they work in small teams to provide support for all children in Reception and KS1 during their break-times. The buddies wear a hi-vis vest and will actively engage with the younger children in playing games or helping them build relationships with the peers. The buddies are wonderful role-models to our youngest pupils and we are fortunate to have such caring and responsible members of Year 6.

Wellbeing Ambassadors are a small group of children across Year 5 and 6 who have a very specific role in supporting individual children in Reception and KS1 in a more nurturing way. The younger children have been identified as children who may need help in making friends or who may find lunchtimes more difficult to navigate. The Wellbeing Ambassadors are a point of contact for the younger child in knowing that there is an older child who will help them in their play or sit and talk quietly about their day if they would prefer. Parents are informed if their child has been assigned a Wellbeing Ambassador and this is reviewed on a termly basis.

All Playground Buddies and Wellbeing Ambassadors are provided with specific training from experienced staff and are regularly monitored to support with any issues that may arise.

Our aim at Claremont is to prepare our children to become the best person they can be and leave Claremont at the end of Year 6 with kindness, confidence and self-belief.