Published on: 27th May 2025
Local services, including our Bury mental health support team have worked closely with St Stephen’s Church of England primary school to achieve the 'Emotionally Friendly Settings' bronze award, making them the first primary school in Bury to receive it.
Early Break and Bury community psychology services also supported the school to implement the Emotionally Friendly Settings (EFS) programme.
Early Break has been a driving force behind the development of emotional health and wellbeing support offered to young people in Bury for the last 17 years. This joint project with Bury mental health support team is just one part of it.
EFS is a flexible, whole-setting approach aimed at improving the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people by supporting individual students' emotional needs.
Tracy Hamilton-Hall, whole education approach co-ordinator said: “This development marks a significant milestone for Bury, and we are delighted to celebrate it. An emotionally friendly setting is one that can identify and respond to a wide range of emotional needs, helping children, young people and staff to flourish and succeed.”
The school was presented with their certificate at the Emotionally Friendly Annual Conference at Salford Community Stadium on Wednesday 21 May 2025.
Sally Denney, headteacher at St Stephen’s said: “We’re all absolutely thrilled to have been awarded the bronze accreditation. Our school has always had emotional health, wellbeing, and flourishing at the very heart of everything we do.
“Working closely with local mental health services and providers, we feel confident that we can go on to achieve both silver and gold accreditation in years to come.”
Tracy added: “We extend our warmest congratulations to St Stephen’s for having their excellent emotional health and wellbeing practices for children and young people formally recognised through this award.”
Other schools and colleges interested in the programme should email EFS@bury.gov.uk for information on how to get started.