Dane Court strives to put the wellbeing of its community at its core.
By fostering a caring, open-minded and principled learning environment, we seek to create a culture of happiness, safety and inclusivity.

Coffee morning - save the date

We value parental views on what your children need from us in terms of wellbeing support. 

Look out for an invite to our coffee morning on Monday 7 October at 9:00am to explore how we can jointly continue to develop our school approach to wellbeing and mental health support. 

This will be the second event held as we work towards our Optimus Wellbeing Award, designed to capture parent and carer views on provision and support.

Our first event was held after work hours to allow as many people as possible to attend. This next event will be held during the school day to allow others to attend who may find this time more convenient.

Look out for an invitation and be sure to sign up to let us know numbers and allow for cake calculation!

Kooth and Qwell

A reminder that Kooth and Qwell are NHS commissioned free online platforms to support young people's and adult mental health (retrospectively).

www.kooth.com

www.qwell.io

Managing Back to School Worries

With the children now back to school, and many new starters with us, parents and carers may find they are having to manage anxiety and navigate changes that can present challenges and barriers. Many of you will be encouraging your children to establish a routine, join clubs and stay organised in order to bring comfort, reduce stress and help make friends. 

If you need some extra support and advice, Kooth has a webinar to help. KoothTalks are offering a free webinar called ‘Helping your child manage anxiety’. The session will include the signs and symptoms of anxiety, ways of coping and how Kooth and Qwell can help.

Webinars will be broadcast live on:

• Monday 16tSeptember 1:00pm
• Thursday 19 September 6:00pm

Sign up here

Emotionally Based School Avoidance

Here is some advanced warning of another webinar that may be of interest if you are struggling to help your child to attend school due to their anxiety. KoothTalks are offering a webinar for Parents and Carers about Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) in December. 
The session will include what EBSA is, perspectives from a young person, strategies to support young people experiencing EBSA and how Kooth and Qwell can help. 

Webinars will be broadcast live on:

• Tuesday 3 December 7:00pm
• Wednesday 4 December 10:00am

Don't worry if you can't attend any of the live dates for these webinars. When you complete the sign up form, please select the 'I cannot attend' option and they will email you with the recording and additional resources.

Sign up here

Resources while awaiting neurodiversity assessment

Waiting for an assessment for ADHD, Autism, or other forms of neurodiversity can often be a slow and challenging process. However, individuals going through this are not alone. Qwell provides free resources, tools, and mental health support, which can be invaluable during this period.

Qwell offers a range of resources, including a dedicated collection on Neurodiversity. This includes insights into different aspects of neurodiversity, its impact, and the strengths and challenges it presents.

They have also published a new mini-series on neurodiversity parenting. Which includes articles such as:

• Supporting a neurodiverse child: Nita’s story of finding balance through adolescence
• Supporting a neurodiverse child with mental health challenges

Please email me if you would like to receive a copy of these resources on holmes@danecourt.kent.sch.uk

Lucy Holmes

Senco and Mental Health Lead