Blackfriars School gained the Healthy Schools Award in the summer of 2006. We are the first special school in Staffordshire to have gained this prestigious national award!
’Every Child Matters : Change for Children’
This is the government’s ‘new approach’ to the well-being of children and young people from conception to age 19.
The programme expects that all organisations that provide services to children work together in a more integrated and effective way to promote better outcomes for children and families. These outcomes are:
- Be healthy
- Stay safe
- Enjoy and achieve through learning
- Make a positive contribution to society
- Achieve economic well-being
At Blackfriars School we have always worked closely with other agencies that have more experience and expertise in a particular field. Every Child Matters emphasises the need for professionals to work together to enable children and young people to achieve their academic and personal potential.
As a school community we work hard to encourage our students to recognise their health needs and to remain as healthy as possible and to provide them with a safe environment in which to work and flourish. We also try to promote an awareness of personal safety outside the confines of the school environment. We provide a wide range of opportunities and enrichment activities which hopefully children and young people will take advantage of to enable them to enjoy and achieve through learning.
Throughout the school children and young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution, be it through classroom activities, their relationship with their peers, our inclusion programme, membership of the school council, the many charity ventures we undertake or via membership of organisations outside school. Our ultimate aim is that every child and young person will achieve economic well-being for themselves but we also understand that sometimes factors beyond a pupil’s control can impact on their life but we expect all children and young people to maximize their independence and develop self confidence and esteem.
BE HEALTHY is about ensuring your child is physically and emotionally healthy enough to achieve their academic and personal potential. We provide lots of opportunities to make this happen which include:
- Working closely with the physiotherapists in school and encourage consultants and orthotists to hold clinics on site.
- Welcoming input from Educational and Clinical psychologists.
- Welcoming input from Speech and Language Therapist.
- Providing a highly trained support staff that can administer and oversee a wide range of medical procedures under the direction of the School Nurse.
- Providing a minimum of 2 hours Physical Education each week under the direction of our Advanced Skills Teacher for PE who is assisted by our Mobility Officer and Sports Instructor.
- Providing a weekly swimming session in one of our two hydrotherapy pools under the direction of highly trained swimming instructors.
- Providing a Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme that includes Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Education and Sex and Relationship Education.
- Providing Saturday Swimming Sessions for all our families,
- Offering a nutritionally balanced school meal, cooked on the premises, for all pupils
School Health Service
Nurse Mandy is based at Newcastle site (phone 01782 297780) she works on a daily basis with teachers and support staff to promote your child’s health helping to ensure they benefit from their educational opportunities.
Nurse Mandy provides support and training for staff in a range of medical procedures and liaises with visiting consultants to provide routine health checks and immunizations. She also provides a ‘Drop In’ clinic for students on the Newcastle site and is supported in this venture by Nurse Carol at Bucknall.
It is very important that you let Nurse Mandy know if you have concerns about your child’s health or development. You may discuss any worries you have in confidence with her.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
We can directly refer to the CAMHS service when pupils are suffering from mental health problems, emotional problems or have experienced some form of trauma which has impacted on their life. Any referral will be made by Nurse Mandy in consultation with you, and your GP will be informed. CAMHS will work with the young person individually or the whole family.
Talking to your child about drugs, tobacco and alcohol
Sometimes it is difficult to recognise how quickly your child is growing up and to realise how vulnerable they can be to media and social influences. In school we recognise the need to encourage pupils to make informed choices and this begins in the Early Years department. The PSHE programme also introduces appropriate information about Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol as pupils progress through the school. Parental attitudes and open discussion provide very powerful role models and influences in shaping children’s attitudes toward drugs, tobacco and alcohol. A CLEAR guide is - Children Learn by Example and Adult Responsibility.
Talking to your child about sexual health
For many parents talking to your child about sex, relationships and growing up can be difficult. From Year 6 onwards Sexual Health issues are addressed in school through the PSHE programme in an age and maturity appropriate manner.
Many support staff are experienced in giving advice and promoting independence for female students as they mature. Similarly some young males need help in developing socially acceptable habits - please don’t hesitate to discuss these issues if you would like to share concerns, it may be new to you but staff have had many years experience in advising on such issues.
The Family Planning Association produce a booklet ‘Talking to Your Child About Sex and Relationships’ – it isn’t particularly disability friendly but it does give clear factual information and hints and tips as to how to discuss facts with your child.
FPA
2 -12 Pentonville Road
London
N1 9FP
Tel: 020 7608 5240
www.fpa.org.uk
Beat Anorexia – British Nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org.uk
If you have any worries that your child has eating problems do alert staff – often early intervention is the most successful.
Healthy Lunchtimes
School dinners are cooked fresh each day at the Newcastle site and trained staff prepare meals to conform to the latest government guidelines. If your child has a special dietary need this can be catered for.
Parents who choose to provide a packed lunch may find the 5 point checklist helpful:
- Have you packed something from the BREAD, CEREALS AND POTATOES group? Such as wholemeal and white breads, pitta bread, pasta and rice salads.
- Have you packed something from the FRUIT AND VEGETABLES group? Such as salad in sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, satsumas, bananas, grapes, fruit salad and pure fruit juices.
- Have you packed something from the MEAT, FISH AND ALTERNATIVES group? Such as slices of ham, chicken and turkey, boiled eggs, canned tuna and salmon, prawns, hummous, mixed nuts and peanut butter.
- Have you packed something from the MILK AND DAIRY FOODS group? Such as Milk, Cheddar, Edam, cheese triangle, cottage cheese with pineapple chunks, fruit yogurt, drinking yogurt and pots of rice pudding.
- Have you packed a DRINK? Such as milk, drinking yogurt, smoothie, fruit juice, sugar-free squash and water.
For many of our students maintaining their optimum health is a constant struggle – we are never too busy to share your concerns and worries – please contact us and if we can’t help, perhaps we know someone who can.
