INTRODUCTION
Social, emotional and mental health need (SEMHN) is a component of the education of the whole child so it is necessary for an educator to understand the topic. It can also assist them to stimulate an extensive appearance of child advancement and to generate a positive achievement to the education of the whole child. Research suggests that SHMHN is an advantage for children better learning and build up the preferred connection with other children and with adults. Educators can exercise the perception of SEMHN to develop school based approach that meets children social, emotional and mental health needs. This essay will begin by featuring educating the whole child is important for child holistic development and necessary of SEMHN to develop children self-efficacy and self-esteem. It will then focus on education policy and school based approach that contribute to promote SEMHN. Finally, it will be discussed with some examples which operate in Scotland to meet learners SEMHN.
EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD AND IMPORTANT
The purpose of education is to promote the highest possible levels of cognitive, social, emotional, physical and ethical development for each child. Whole education delivers adequate knowledge to pupils so it makes them aware in their everyday life within their societies and natural ecosystems (Miller 2005 cited in Kochhar-Bryant and Heishman 2010). Educating the whole child means flourishing the holistic enhancement of every children by meeting social, emotional and mental health needs. Social, emotional and mental health needs are predicted to be a principal component of well-being in Scottish education. (Education Scotland n. d.). The aim of the whole child education is educating the children and associated them with the adjacent community and world (Miller, 2010). To enlighten the entire children of the country, many education system all over the world have fixed the objectives. For example, the ambition of the Scottish education system is that the curriculum should empower all children and youngster to expand their possibility as successful learner, self-reliant individuals, liable citizens and efficient contributor to community (Henderson, 2010).
SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AND IMPORTANCE
Children often find difficulties in managing their Social, emotional and mental health which is a part of their special educational needs. If they face any interaction problem with peers and adults, they show some inappropriate response which actually indicate that they are struggling with making relationship as well as they are feeling hard to come up with their mainstream education (Cindex, Camden. gov. uk, 2018). Children who have high levels of well-being they can easily concentered on learning, demonstrate more positive attitude towards learning, and acquire higher levels of self-efficacy. When school ensure social, emotional and mental health needs then learner acquire greater scores, exceptional examination outcomes, increase attendance and also reduce dropout (Weare, 2015). Whole school approach strengthen learner mental health and resilience and also increases learner prosocial attitude, pupil engagement and intellectual wisdom (Roffey, 2015).
EDUCATION POLICY
Getting it Right for Every Child is an inclusive national education policy of Scotland where the policy committed to meeting children SEMHN. The purpose of the policy is to ensure all expert functioning with children and focus of well-being requirements of all learners and no wellbeing needs are ignored to meeting children social, emotional and mental health. It support children and youngster by proposing the right help at the right time from the right people.
The teachers and other expert working with the children to implement the policy and must exercise the National Practice Model. It is an effective and evolving method of evaluation, analysis, activity, rethinking and an approach to determine results and solutions for particular children or young people (Scottish Government, 2016).
The wellbeing wheel is one of the tools of National Practice Model which demonstrates proposition to holistic development and consider the requirements of the whole child. The eight indicators of wellbeing wheel help to practitioner to categorize the learner’s areas where wellbeing is acceptable levels and areas where additional support is needed to reach acceptable level (Scottish Government, 2015).
Nurture is one of the indicators of wellbeing where children and young people getting a nurturing place to live in a family environment. If it is not possible in a family then it provides suitable care settings in school. For example, in school everyone try to help and support one another where everyone valued, look after and encouraged and consider school as a safe zone (Scottish Government, 2015). Persons search love, appreciation and the sense of belonging because they want to relief from separation and solitariness (Block, 2011). According to Maslow, the basic needs is belongingness, love and care and from childhood, people expect parents, close friends and society will fulfil the needs (Niemela and Kim, 2014).
Attachment means the children’s emotional bonding with their primary caregiver. In some cases we see that, in early life some children feel insecurity for their attachment difficulties (Minnis and Bryce 2012). Secure attachment basically builds up by comfortable, respondent, sensitive care whereas insecure attachment builds up by uncomfortable, insensitive and unpredictable care. Schools can turn into a place of haven for infant who have an insecure attachment style and can enable them to build up a feeling of having own place (Parker, Rose and Gilbert 2016).
A home is certainly a secure base for a child but a school also can serve that by creating a friendly environment for a child such as by supporting, by helping and by accepting them which will ultimately help them to grow emotionally, to develop a sense of security, and to learn about relationships, boundaries and routines (Mitchell, 2011).
SCHOOL BASED APPROACH
School ethos is a school based approach that meets learner social, emotional and mental health needs and welcome all children and remove the barriers. The set of values, practices and attitudes which differs from one school to another is called School ethos. (Bonell et al. 2013). A school’s culture can be determined though its beliefs, aspirations, attitudes, values and that can be defined as School Ethos. (Roffey, 2010). Student who is suffering from insecurity can build up a sense of belonging by a school’s friendly environment such as learning attachment, relationships and behavior and by effective partnerships (Parker, Rose and Gilbert 2016).
A secure and accessory school ethos established connectedness through inspiring shared values, particularly those of team-work, inclusion and impressive resolution of contention. Also established a culture of safety and care where pupil can get the space to contribute and take action and promote positive communication amongst staff and pupils and among learners (Whitlock 2003 cited in Axford, Blyth, and Schepens 2010). The adoption of the flexibility build in schools represents an important shift from a shortage model of youngsters ‘ at risk’ to prevent initiatives (Noble and McGrath, 2014). A precautionary technique concentrate on schooling the individual abilities of resilience to all learners and creating in schools the school-based issues that are ‘ defensive’ and can enable youngsters to develop resiliance (Noble and McGrath, 2014).
EXAMPLE PRACTICE
In 1969 an educational psychologist Marjorie Boxall work on developed the nurture group approach. Nurture group basically help these children to grow emotionally and give them a scope to learn about their relationship, limitations as well as help them to develop the secure feeling. In Scottish schools, the reason for nurture group is to give learning in a sustaining, home like condition which will enable the children to build up the dispositions and aptitudes required to take an interest adequately in their consistent class with diminished. Boxall profile is a checklist which is completed by the class teacher and provides a snapshot of the social, emotional and behavioural functioning of the children which use in nurture group (HMle 2009).
The local green space and outdoor learning is a part of “ Nurturing Nature” project in Scotland. This kind of activity has a great impact on children as well as their parents. It develops the relationship between parents and children, empowers the confidence by boosting resilience. These types of approaches are designed for nurturing relationships and health attachment. By working and playing side by side the children will develop their intimacy power and will help a parent to become the leader and inspiration of their children’s learning (Education. gov. scot, 2018).
In Scotland Parents Child Placements project are important for building parenting capacity and for improving children mental ability positively. It is actually done by relevant practitioners and multi-agency partners who work with children and families. It helps Parents in their parenting role, support them to develop a positive and strong bonding with their children. It makes a better relationship between parents and children. It basically acts as a model for non-judgmental platform for discussion of parenting issues and so parents used this sessions to obtain effective support and information about areas that concerned them (Education. gov. scot, 2018).
LIMITATION
It is not possible all children are benefited from nurture group who have acute uttermost difficulty, for example the street children in Bangladesh (Rahman et al., 2015). Sometimes other agencies like health and social services are needed to meet children social, emotional and mental health needs (Smith, 2013). Students who come from a disadvantaged family where basic needs are not fulfilled how the school can meet social, emotional and mental health needs for this particular groups (O’Brien, 2017).
CONCLUSION
Educating the whole child is important to stimulate children holistic development. Social, emotional and mental health needs help children to communicate others, manage relationships, resolution friction and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. It is evaluated that one-third of children come to class with an insecure attachment style. They could not communicate their peers and adults and cannot control their emotion as well as have some learning difficulties (Parker, Rose and Gilbert 2016).
