The MHST (Mental Health Support Team) work with schools across Buckinghamshire. They aim to improve the well-being and mental health of children and young people within schools and the wider environment through low-intensity, early intervention support.

They promote the importance of early intervention in mental health and wellbeing, aiming to work in partnership with our schools to support young people; adopting a whole school approach which incorporates support for young people, families and school staff.

Within Whitchurch Combined School they support us in the following areas:

    - They provide support for children who have been identified as needing it by families or staff at school. There is an initial assessment where the appropriate support is identified. Research shows that it is more effective at primary school age to work with parents to help them to develop strategies to support their children. 

    - They work with us to run our Peer Mentoring programme. For more information on this please see the Peer Mentor area.

    - They provide staff training in mental health.

    - They run assemblies to help to bring a better understanding an awareness to all children in school. Children are also taught about how to look after their mental health in their PSHE lessons throughout their time in school.

   - They attend school events such as Parents Evenings to allow parents to ask for support and advice in an informal way. 

   - There are a wide range of Webinairs available that all parents can sign up to for more information about a range of issues related to mental health in Primary age children.

   - Where a need is identified by he school, they run group work interventions in school. For example, a group of children in year 6 take part in Team of Life, a series of workshops that helps them to build resilience and recognise key support people in their lives. Other groups of children have taken part in interventions to work on developing positive friendships.