Parent Advice and Useful links
If you are a parent or carer, we hope you will find the many web links below useful.
DSPL is a Hertfordshire-wide partnership approach where parents, carers, staff in early years settings and schools, further education colleges, local authority officers and representatives from other agencies, work together as part of an Area Group, to ensure that there is a range of provision and support services available in their local community that:
- Meets the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), aged 0-25, as close to home as possible.
- Improves outcomes for wellbeing and attainment
- Widens choice for children and parents/carers
- Removes barriers to learning
- Uses resources more effectively
There are nine DSPL Area Groups across the county that meet regularly to discuss what services are available and to influence how services are shaped and developed to ensure the children and young people with SEND in their area receive the right support in their educational activities.
For more information you will find several documents on these pages on The Grid website.
Please find information relating to Hertfordshire Grid for Learning on their website.
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North Herts DSPL website for DSPL in North Herts
Families First is a directory of organisations, services and groups in Hertfordshire that can help you with problems you or your family may be facing, before things might get worse. Information on the portal includes:
- Parenting courses such as Managing Challenging Behaviours
- Teen brains
- SEN information and support groups
- Agencies such as Citizens Advice, Against Poverty, Family Lives and Herts help
- Upcoming courses https://familiesfeelingsafe.co.uk/programmes/
Over the course of your child's school life, we know that there will be some times that may be more testing than others. As a school, we have an open-door policy. We encourage you to come and let us know if anything has changed at home that may impact on the behaviour or mood of your child either in or out of school. Similarly, we are also here for you as parents. If we can't help we will generally know of someone who can so please keep in touch.
The issues that you face could be behavioural, financial, bereavement or a multitude of others. It may be that your child needs further support and you need advice on how you can help them or you may have a family crisis and need additional support yourself, to help you to cope with other environmental factors in your life.
In addition to the support offered by the school, we would also direct you to the following links. These are organisations external to the school where you can seek confidential support.
Please let us know if we've missed anything and we'll endeavour to add it on.
Support-. Please speak to your child's class teacher or Ms Atkins, Mrs Banks or Mrs Lawrence if you feel that you would benefit from support or guidance on where to go next.
Family support for you
If you need help outside of the school day or at the weekend you can contact Family Lives
Family Lives (Formerly known as Parentline Plus)
DFE Guidance
The DFE has produced some useful guidance about how to keep your child safe from harm and abuse.
SEN Advice North Herts- DSPL
The DSPL (Developing Special Provision Locally) are a group of professionals and parents that meet half termly to review and develop the range of provision and support services available to their local community that :
- Meets the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), aged 0-25, as close to home as possible.
- Improves outcomes for wellbeing and attainment
- Widens choice for children and parents/carers...
- Removes barriers to learning
- Uses resources more effectively
Herts Direct
Log onto Herts Direct and click the link for Family / Child Support for contacts to give support or advice with:
- Children's support groups
- SEN charities
- Beezee Bodies We help adults, children and families make healthy habits to eat well, move more and feel great – for good.
- Hertfordshire Healthy Hub Healthy Hub is a confidential service working with a range of professionals who can help you get the right service for your needs. including: giving up smoking, looking after your mental health, healthy eating advice, access the Citizens Advice Service and get support as a carer.
- Nessie In Education Supporting Positive Mental Health in Schools and the Community. Getting the right help to you and your child
What is Mental Health?
“We all have a mental health – whether it is good, bad or in the middle.
Put simply, your mental health is the way you feel on any particular day.”
CAMHS
At Wilbury Junior School we are committed to promoting and supporting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing of our whole school community. We believe that mental health and wellbeing underpins the heart of education.
Mental Health in Children
The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020 report, published today, reveals that the proportion of children who are experiencing mental health difficulties has increased over the past three years, from 1 in 9 in 2017, to 1 in 6 as of July 2021. On average that is 5 children in each classroom and the the increase was evident in both boys and girls.
Hertfordshire CYPMHS Service Directory Oct 2023.pdf
Useful information for Parents About Mental Health & Well-Being
Helplines and websites:
If you are worried about your child or think that you need advice from professionals there are a range of local and national services across the UK and Hertfordshire.
- Your local GP
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) - 0800 6444 101 - https://www.hpftcamhs.nhs.uk/
- Mind – 020 3727 3600 – www.hertsmindnetwork.org
- Samaritans – 116 123 – www.samaritans.org
- ChildLine - 0800 1111 –www.childline.org
- Shout - text the word 'SHOUT' to 85258 - https://giveusashout.org/
- Young Minds – 0808 802 5544 –www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us
- Winston's Wish - the UK’s childhood bereavement charity. www.winstonswish.org/
- Family Support
- School Nurse
We are excited to be able to share with you National College learning.
This is a learning development site, that we use as staff and can now offer this to you as parents. There are some great courses for you to take part in or listen to, this will support you in your own development or in ways to support your children.
We are living in an everchanging world and technology is moving fast. We need to keep abreast of the changes and developments to support our children now and in the next stage of their learning.
Below is a link to this site that you can access as a parent at Wilbury Junior School. You will need to create an account first.
If you would like any support in learning how to use this please see Ms Chelsea Atkins or Mr Richard Miller.
We support the positive mental health of children and young people. We do this in three ways:
- We offer 1-1 and group arts therapies for children and young people;
- We offer training and supervision of professionals in educational settings;
- We offer training forums and support to parents and carers.
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Rehab 4 Addiction Parent's Mental Health this Summer - UK-based addiction helpline serving people in Letchworth Garden City.
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'Switched on Families' and Internet Matters' Handy tools to help parents of web-ready kids stay ahead of the curve
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Action for Children Action for Children supports and speaks for the UK's most vulnerable and neglected children and young people.
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Parent Centre Lots of information about parenting.
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Department for Education Articles and advice for children and young people.
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Think You Know Great advice to keep children safe whilst using the internet.
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CEOP News and articles surrounding internet safety.
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Child Car Safety Guide to keeping your child safe in the car
Parents/Guardians should go to the website below:
member.everbridge.net/index/892807736725489
This will enable you to receive instant messages relating to the status of your child's school in the event of closure. Please be aware, if we have heavy snow the school website will also be updated should the school close.
If you have any health concerns and you would like to make a referral to the school nurse, please see the link below