Westover Primary School, Portsmouth
Our Hamish & Milo Story
Westover Primary School’s vision is to create a learning environment that is focused on everyone
‘Thinking and learning; thriving and achieving.’
Westover Primary School in Portsmouth is a vibrant and friendly school providing education for primary aged children from Reception to Year 6.
The school is part of the Hamwic Education Trust and strives to promote clear values of Resilience, Resourcefulness, Kindness and Creativity. These values are central and permeate every aspect of school life and aim to promote enjoyment in learning.
During an Ofsted visit in May 2022, there was recognition of how “Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly, welcoming and caring school. They are happy, and they feel safe and well cared for.”
The school places pupil wellbeing as a central aspect with a commitment to providing a wide and varied range of support, intervention and provision to support children’s social and emotional development, as well as learning. There is a focus on trauma-informed and attachment-aware practice, with strong communication between staff, children and parents, to ensure that the best intervention and support is in place where needed. Children and families are encouraged to share what is happening at home as well as in school, any changes or situations that may have an impact on children’s wellbeing and happiness so that the right levels of support can be put in place.
University of Bath Research Study
Westover Primary School, within the Hamwic Trust Cohort, were part of the initial phase of the University of Bath Research Study with Hamish & Milo. They began implementing the SEMH intervention programme in the Autumn Term of 2022. With staff changes within the Senior Leadership and SEN team, pastoral work became an even greater priority.
Rose Leslie, Inclusion Lead and Hannah Dalton, Child and Family Support worker, worked closely together to plan and implement effective pastoral intervention and SEMH provision to best support their children’s developing needs and to support best possible outcomes for all and have successfully embedded the Hamish & Milo intervention programme as a core and strategic approach across the whole school.
Using the Hamish & Milo programme
Hamish & Milo has become an embedded and significant SEMH intervention, and groups are run weekly within a number of different programmes. Hannah has facilitated all of the groups with children carefully selected based on levels of need, key themes that offer a specific focus for the children and group dynamics all considered so that each child felt safe and secure and able to access the programmes. Where necessary, the programmes were run with small groups or as one-to-one interventions.
A beautiful space known as ‘The Pod’ has recently been created and refurbished to provide a sanctuary and welcoming space for the children to come for the Hamish & Milo group experience.
The Pod is a small circular room with soft furnishings and wallpaper depicting trees as a way of bringing nature into the space. There is an atmosphere of calm, tranquillity and safety for the children to talk about their experiences, engage in creative activities and develop a sense of belonging with the others in the different groups.
Observation of a Hamish & Milo Amazing me session
Clare Williams, author and creator of Hamish & Milo was invited to visit Westover Primary with an opportunity to join an Amazing me session with a new group. Clare comments:
“It was so lovely to feel so welcome, to be able to meet the children and the sock puppet pets and to share in this first Shining Stars session of Amazing me. The children within the group were from Year 6 and were fully immersed in the session. The sock puppets were a strong aspect and introduced themselves showing their character and highlighting their own strengths which the children were then able to so as well. I was given my own sock puppet friend, ‘Blossom’ so that I could join in.”
“There was a lovely sense of calm within the group but also an eagerness from each of the children to share their ideas and to join in with the discussion and activities. The children were asked by Hannah to think about what special characteristics they had or if they were proud of anything in particular. She helped them to think about and understand what self-esteem is and how we can develop a sense of care and pride in ourselves. Hannah shared what she knew about each child, their strengths, characteristics and personality traits and the children were able to notice and share how this made them feel. They were then able to share their own ideas about themselves.”
Each of the children then designed stars with their strengths and qualities illustrated, which would then form a star mobile about themselves for a group display. The children listened to calming rainforest music as they created their stars, and there was a lovely atmosphere of connection and togetherness within the group.
“It was a really lovely session, and it was clear to see how much the children enjoyed their special time together and time to think about and develop their self-awareness and self-worth.”
Highlights using the Hamish & Milo programme
Hannah shared her highlights in facilitating the programmes and seeing the impact on the children.
Loss, grief and bereavement programme
Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
Hearing the Child’s Voice
During Clare’s visit to Westover Primary, she was given the opportunity to talk with groups of children who had previously been part of an intervention group to hear firsthand all about their experiences and honest feedback.
A group of two year 5 boys had been part of a group completing Memories and me.
When asked what they might say to a child who wasn’t sure about whether to join a group, one of the boys said, “I would say… can I do it instead of you?”
When asked what would make it better, the other said, “Do it longer!”
A group of two girls and a boy shared their time in a Calm me group.
Hearing the Parent’s Voice
A parent of a child who found it difficult to come to school was keen to meet and share their experience with Clare. Her son had experienced anxiety since starting in Reception and would struggle to attend school. He would run and become dysregulated, unable to make sense of his feelings. Taking part in the Hamish & Milo intervention programme within the school has successfully helped him turn this around.
“He always struggled to come into school, from reception to year five, but since the Hamish & Milo group, he enjoys coming into school and most importantly, he enjoys talking about his feelings!”
“He now has such confidence in naming his emotions and knowing why he feels a certain way. He wasn’t able to voice any of it before. He now has the way to tell us how he is feeling.”
“I am not worried about him now. I used to have that feeling every day in the pit of my stomach, but not since the group. He enjoys the special time and how it makes him feel.”
“He can vocalise his feelings, and he can think and reflect more. The level of empathy he has is huge. He always felt overwhelmed by his feelings and takes on everyone else’s too, but now he can express them more easily.”
Demonstrating impact with Navigator – Impact Reporting Dashboard
Hamish & Milo is part of the strategic approach to wellbeing and SEND provision within Westover Primary School.
Rose and Hannah prioritise the levels of need the children have and liaise with class teachers as well as parents to ensure the best opportunities and interventions are in place.
“Mental health and wellbeing is priority number one for our school for all children and families, and the school is improving and developing to ensure this is in place.” Rose Leslie, Inclusion Lead.
One of the key aspects of the focus on Mental Health and wellbeing within the School Development Plan for Westover is the need to ensure impact. It is through Navigator that Rose has been able to demonstrate impact, identify key areas of need for particular children and support with the development and review of EHCPs, SEN reviews and provision mapping.
“Navigator is so clear, easy to use and provides vital information to support EHCPs. The greatest impact in using Hamish & Milo is the whole package, being able to show the pre and post data, capture child voice and it is really insightful.” Rose Leslie, Inclusion Lead.
Ongoing plans
Hamish & Milo is now a significant part of the wellbeing and social and emotional strategy for Westover Primary School, as they continue to embed and enhance the approach to support more children and develop the family work alongside the programme.
