Wellbeing Return to Education (WER)

Wellbeing for Education Return is a national Department for Education (DfE) funded training and resource programme developed by the e-learning platform MindEd, working closely with the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families.

The training programme is intended to support education staff to promote children and young people, teacher and parents and carers' mental wellbeing and resilience, to aid mental health recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Salford, Bury and Tameside the Educational Psychology Service are delivering this programme and the content has been adapted and developed in consultation with local support services and providers. Content from the training programme can be found below.

Webinar presentations

Webinar 1: Whole School/College approaches

Covers whole setting approaches to wellbeing and recovery. This is an evidence-based session to ensure settings have the building blocks to support recovery and build resilience across the school or college community. This session introduces the two wellbeing frameworks (5 Key principles or recovery and the 5 Rs for All Ages) which are covered in the Wellbeing Frameworks video clip below.

Wellbeing Return to Education (WER) Webinar 1 PDF

Watch a short video clip by Dr Trickey (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) included within the presentation.

In the video Dr Trickey explains the impact of the pandemic on young people and what may be considered a typical response, alongside what may signal a need for more specialist support.

Webinar 2: Supporting those who need additional support

Covers issues that are likely to be prevalent in schools and colleges among staff and pupils, including bereavement, anxiety, low mood and trauma. It helps staff to understand what they can be doing within school to support staff and young people and what support might be available locally. 

Wellbeing Return to Education (WER) Webinar 2 PDF

Bitesize Psychology Webinars

Educational Psychologists involved in the delivery of the programme have developed short snippets of the key messages from Webinars 1 and 2. These cover the below topics in short, accessible ‘bitesize’ videos (10-15 minutes):

Wellbeing frameworks

This video clip covers two frameworks described in Webinar 1. The 5 ways to Recovery framework and 5 Rs for All Ages, which can be supportive at a whole setting, group and individual level.

Resilience

This video clip provides a definition of resilience and explains the research around protective factors known to build resilience, linking this to what education settings can do to support children and young people to nurture their wellbeing and resilience.

Staff wellbeing

This video addresses the factors associated with staff wellbeing in educational settings and provides on overview of proactive strategies school leaders and individuals can adopt, alongside links to further support.

Bereavement and loss

This short webinar aims to support your understanding of bereavement and loss and provide ideas to support children and young people who have experienced bereavement and loss.

Anxiety and low mood

This video supports education staff to understand the key things to look out for in relation to anxiety and low mood and the strategies to use to support children and young people in school and college.

Trauma and stress

This video covers the content included in Webinar 2 and explores trauma in the context of Covid-19 and how the 5Rs for All Ages can be used to support recovery.

Virtual Drop-in Sessions 

The virtual drop-in sessions provided an opportunity to jointly problem solve issues arising in schools; balancing information sharing from professionals with Q&A opportunities. These sessions were delivered over the course of the Spring Term 2021 across Salford, Tameside and Bury. The themes covered are detailed below and can be re-delivered through a commission for individual staff teams or clusters of schools. For further details please contact Emotionallyfriendlysettings@salford.gov.uk.

Staff wellbeing and a whole school approach to wellbeing

This session includes practical tips informed by evidence-based approaches and allows staff members the opportunity to reflect upon their own wellbeing and ways in which wellbeing can be enhanced to support themselves as well as the staff around them.

Supporting loss and bereavement in schools

Sadly, from time to time, every educational setting has to find ways of helping its
community members following a loss or bereavement. In the wake of a global pandemic, the possibility of loss is greater for everyone. There will be a short input at the start of the session, but the bulk of the session will be devoted to an interactive discussion. It’s the ideal time to ask all the questions that are troubling you about bereavement and loss in general, or in relation to specific situations in your school. There will be a panel of friendly, experienced EPs and educational practitioners, who will offer practical strategies and empathic insight in response to your queries. Please feel free to bring the wisdom of your own experience to offer to others, or it’s fine just to listen if you prefer. The session is likely to remind you of the ways you already create kind, supportive and nurturing environments, which can support all those you work with through the process of loss. Our aim is for you to leave the session inspired and hopeful.

Understanding attachment

This session introduces some of the key concepts in relation to attachment theory, considering the neuropsychology of attachment, and also the impact of working with insecurely attached children on supporting adults.

Trauma-informed approaches to supporting young people

Developmental trauma is the term used to describe repeated trauma experienced within long-term primary relationships (e.g. high levels of fear and neglect at home). Research tells us that developmental trauma can have a significant and long-term impact upon children’s development. In school, these young people may struggle to regulate their emotions and their lived experience can have an impact on their presentation, behaviour, relationships and consequently their ability to learn. This session explores why this is the case and what type of approaches can be helpful for these individuals. There will be some input on developmental trauma and suggested approaches, followed by some time for discussion.

Anxiety and low mood

This sessions explores how we understand anxiety and low mood and the impact it can have on pupils, staff and parents. Facilitated discussions provide opportunities to consider support strategies, share ideas and good practice.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

For some pupils, attending school can be very anxiety-provoking. This session explains the research around EBSA and the recommended core approaches to increase attendance. The session provides opportunities to share ideas about how to engage with pupils and their families to develop a support plan.

Exam stress and test anxiety

After two disrupted years as a result of the pandemic, many pupils (and teachers) may be worrying more than usual about exams. This interactive session explores proactive ways in which you can support your school community to manage exam stress.

Emotional regulation and emotion coaching

Some children find it difficult to recognise their own levels of emotional arousal and to regulate their feelings.This session will consider different stages of emotional escalation and how adults can support children and young people to regulate their feelings (e.g. Emotion Coaching).

Anger and dysregulated behaviour

This session explores anger as a 'secondary emotion' to understand what dsyregulated behaviours in school may be trying to communicate. The session is discussion based and themed around five key learning points, with opportunities to share experiences, good practices and recommended interventions.  

Solution circles and peer support

This session explains the benefits of supervision and the models/ frameworks staff can use to support each other in schools and settings. The session includes the experience of a model of group supervision (called a Solution Circle) and time to reflect on the process. 

SEND Thrive

Members of the Educational Psychology Service introduce the new SEND Children Thrive document (available for three age ranges; Early Years, School Age and Post-16) which supports staff in the early identification of special educational needs and the provision of targeted support through a graduated approach. The session includes key tips on how the document can help you to support children and young people with SEND in your setting alongside a demonstration of it's interactive features.