At Grace Mary Primary School we have a fantastic Wellbeing Team in place for both parents/carers and pupils to access support, advice and guidance. As a school we have achieved ‘The Sandwell Wellbeing Charter Mark’, which is a public commitment to actively promote mental health and wellbeing through school.  Most recently, we have been awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark which recognises the ongoing commitment by schools to provide the very best education for all children, irrespective of differences.

Advice and support is confidential, although concerns relating to the safeguarding of children will always be dealt with in accordance to the schools Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Support for families could involve the below but could also cover ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in-between:

• General advice and support
• Supporting with family stresses e.g. bereavement, financial hardship, housing issues, mental health wellbeing and more
• Support good attendance
• Promoting self esteem and confidence
• Direct work and interventions with children, as appropriate
• Supporting positive behaviour and routines within the home
• Supporting with appointments
• Support with school uniform (School holds Nearly New and New uniform available to all families for a small charge - 50p (Nearly New) or a £1.00 (New)
• Providing financial support, food vouchers and food bank support
• Supporting with Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy referrals
• Signposting to services who can provide further support e.g. local Children’s Centres, Early Help support, Wellbeing Hub, Family Information Service Hub, and Sandwell Family Life
• Parenting support / strategies and supporting resources

Our list is ever growing and if we don't know the answer, we will know someone that does, so please contact us over any matter that you think we can help with. 

Where to find the team?

Mrs Smith and Mrs Oliarnyk will now be sharing the Wellbeing/Pastoral role within the school.

Their working days will be as follows:

• Mrs Smith: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
• Mrs Oliarnyk: Wednesday and Friday

We kindly ask that parents do not wait for a particular member of staff to be available. Mrs Smith and Mrs Oliarnyk work as one pastoral team and are both able to provide support, guidance and assistance with any wellbeing or pastoral concerns.

Alternatively, please ask to speak to one of the team through the school office. Please pop in or call us on 01384 255910.

Mrs Smith or Mrs Oliarnyk are at the top gate most mornings to stop and speak to and Mrs Willetts is at the bottom gate mid-week to stop and speak to also. 

If you do wish to discuss a more sensitive matter or do not wish to speak in person, please email familysupport@gracemary.sandwell.sch.uk 

If we as a school can support you, your children or family in any way, please contact us.

We are here to help

2026/2027 Parent Support Sessions

In our aim to continue to support parents in a variety of areas school have organised the following events to be held in school:

Wednesday 4th November - 9am start - Emily from Inclusion Supports Complex Communication and Autism Team will be joining us. She is available to answer any questions that parents may have regarding Autism from pre-diagnosis to post-diagnosis. This is available for any parent to join us that has questions or wants advice or sign posting in relation to autism.

Wednesday 11th November - 8.45am start - Alex from Reflexions will be leading a workshop in relation to 'Talking to your child about mental health'. He will share a presentation and have time to speak to parents regarding their child if necessary. This is available for any parent to join us that wants to develop their confidence in talking to their child about their mental health or feels their child may benefit from additional support in this area.

Friday 4th December - 9am-11am - Sam Edwards from Helping Hands will be sharing information on what support is available for parents of children with autism and ADHD. This is a great opportunity for parents to understand and be given access to support that is available to support parents and their children. This is available for any parent to join us that has questions or wants sign posting in relation to autism or ADHD.

Please state your attendance at any of these sessions on Parent Pay so we know how many parents to expect. This will help us to allocate the correct room size to the number of attendees.

Helpful links and resources

It is important that you look after your own and your children's physical and mental wellbeing. Children with high levels of wellbeing are better learners. Below you will find more information on how you and your family can take care of yourselves and have fun!

• Importance of sleep (NHS) A relaxing bedtime routine is one important way to help your child get a good night's sleep.
• When emotions explode (Young minds)
• Change for life provides a variety of advice for families with children, from healthy eating to increasing exercise.
• Cosmic Kids provides yoga and mindfulness videos for children.
• Wellbeing strategies for children and teens | Family Lives
• Relaxation exercises to do at home with your kids | Save the Children UK