Mental Health and Wellbeing at PaWS

At PaWS, we believe that positive mental health and wellbeing are key for every child to flourish and meet their potential. By providing support for all members of our school community, we aim to help children feel safe, valued and confident, enabling them to build resilience, develop healthy relationships and achieve their full potential both academically and personally.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team:

Senior Mental Health Lead: Mrs Kelly Kerr

A Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) is a designated member of staff in a school or college in England responsible for overseeing a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant): Mrs Eve Ayling

ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. It is an educational psychology-led school initiative originally developed by educational psychologist Sheila Burton to support the social and emotional needs of children and young people.

Mental Health First Aiders for Pupils: Mrs Kelly Kerr, Mrs Alicia Farnes, Mrs Kirsty Smith, Miss Katie Honeywood and Miss Milly Lazell. 

Mental Health First Aiders for Adults: Mrs Rachel Smith and Mrs Eve Ayling

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognized training program that teaches people how to identify, understand, and support someone experiencing a mental health issue or crisis.

East Sussex Parent/Carer Practitioner: Ms Angela Griffin

A parent carer practitioner works with families, schools, and local services to support parents and carers—especially those raising children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mental health and emotional wellbeing (MHEW) needs.

MHEW Resources:

Please see the Padlet with a wealth of resources to support MHEW for our school community: https://padlet.com/kkerr14/mhew-at-paws-s02427tl3pr8gjov4ql2 

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy outlines the support we provide for pupils, parents/carers and staff. /docs/PaWS_MHEW_Strategy_Sept_2026_review.pdf