Being a parent is a hugely rewarding and challenging role. All parents will at some point need support and advice as their children grow. The staff at Richard Taylor are here to help, our family meeting room is a space created to be able to meet and seek support and solutions over a cup of tea. Mrs Styles, our Wellbeing lead is always ready to be a listening ear.

If you are struggling, the ‘Action for Parents’ website is a useful starting point to looking for further help. The link to their website is below.

I’m struggling to cope as a parent – Support for Parents from Action For Children

Embedded in our curriculum is the promotion of the recognised five ways to wellbeing. All children and staff at RTS are taught the importance of building these five key actions into their daily lives.
They also play a crucial role in the celebration of good mental health during special events such as Mental Health Awareness Day.

Our PHSE Curriculum

We follow Jigsaw – the mindful approach to PSHE.
Jigsaw’s range of inspired teaching programmes focus on developing each child’s emotional literacy, social skills and well-being. Jigsaw is based upon a mindful approach to PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) and develops children’s emotional resilience; helping them to grow as unique individuals enjoying positive relationships with self and others, and becoming self-regulating learners.
The programme meets all statutory Relationship and Health Education requirements and includes Sex Education. It builds the positive, inclusive and caring Christian ethos of the school and supports educational outcomes by empowering children’s self-regulation, emotional literacy and self-belief.

Embedded in our curriculum is the promotion of the recognised five ways to wellbeing. All children and staff at RTS are taught the importance of building these five key actions into their daily lives.

They also play a crucial role in the celebration of good mental health during special events such as Mental Health Awareness Day. If you want to learn more about the five ways to wellbeing follow the link below:

Every child is valued, and diversity is respected at Richard Taylor.
We believe that everyone has a voice, which should be listened to. We communicate with respect and strive to teach our young people the emotional literacy skills to express themselves effectively.
We want every child to understand the importance of their mental health and be able to understand how they are feeling and why. We use the ‘Zones of Regulation’ approach to support this approach. It begins with the colour monsters and progresses to Zones of Regulation which provide the children with an emotional literacy. To learn more about zones of regulation follow the link below.

Good physical health is a core element of a healthy lifestyle. The school is proud to have achieved the Gold Sports Mark in 2024 and the Healthy Schools’ Silver Award in 2023. We have developed an exciting partnership with Phunky Foods, an organisation that raises pupils awareness of a healthy diet.

We have a dedicated kitchen team who provide bespoke nutritious meals for our children, including meat-free Mondays.
The school’s website has a dedicated tab, which explains our approach to promoting sport in school.

All our staff are committed to developing positive relationships within our school community. Our teachers will dedicate time to get to know your child as an individual and discover their personal motivations. We aim to nurture happy children who feel valued, supported and who understand the importance of their own wellbeing.
Every child is taught the importance of their own safety and that adults in school are always ready to listen to their concerns and worries.
All year six children volunteer to buddy our new starters helping them to have the best possible start to life at RTS
School staff volunteer to be mentors to each of our year six children as they go through the challenges of their final year at primary school.

At different times in their lives, children may need additional support with their mental health and wellbeing. Working together with families and sometimes external professionals is important in getting the right support at the right time.
Teachers and Teaching Assistants in school are trained and experienced in supporting a range of social, emotional and mental health needs.

We recognise how mental health and well-being affects learning, self-esteem, relationships and confidence.
Nurture groups, mindfulness sessions and structured emotional therapeutic sessions are all used as tools to meet the individual needs of children on a weekly and daily basis.

Our SENCo, Mrs Styles, offers support to children and families who need to talk. She is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for appointments.

We work closely with several outside agencies to ensure that parents and children experiencing times of challenge and struggle get the support that they need.

These organisations include:

• CAMHS– Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for crisis
• CAMHS Crisis is for children and young people under 18 years old who require more urgent help such as following an episode of serious self-harm, if they are in severe emotional distress or if they are displaying high levels of risk-taking behaviour requiring immediate attention.
• Harrogate and Rural District 01423 544 335 (10am- 10pm)
  The above service is open 7 days a week
• Outreach support from North Yorkshire County Council– including specialist advisory teachers for SEN and Educational Psychologists
• Physical and Medical Practitioners– including Physio Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Visual and Hearing support
• Family Support Teams– including the Early Help Team (home support)

Our acts of worship also teach the children the importance of reflection, meditation and period of calm. The children are also given the opportunity to experience and learn about the importance of prayer through daily times of quiet prayer and termly prayer stations organised by the friends of the school allowing the children to experience different approaches to prayer.

Yoga is delivered as part of our PE curriculum in key stage two.

There are many online resources that can provide help and support for parents and children

Compass Phoenix

Compass Phoenix is a project that aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people aged 5-18 (25 with SEND) in schools across North Yorkshire.
Click on the link above to learn more from their website.

Young Minds

The Young Minds website is full of advice and information to give young people the tools to look after their mental health. They empower parents and professionals to be the best support they can be to the young people in their lives and give young people the space and confidence to get their voices heard and change the world we live in.

Click on the above to learn more from their website.

The Go-To

The Go-To is the home of wellbeing and mental health for young people in North Yorkshire. They are here to help you find the right help and support for you, to help you stay well, whatever is going on in your life.

Click on the link above to learn more from their website.

Just Be

Just ‘B’ provides emotional wellbeing support to primary and secondary schools in our area. The service aims to provide children and young people with a space to share, explore and develop an understanding of their lives and emotional responses. Support is flexible, holistic and integrated with other services, based on the needs of the child or young person.

Click on the link above to learn more from their website.