St Thomas of Canterbury
PSHE & Wellbeing
At our school, we aim to promote positive mental health for every child, parents / carers and staff. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialized, targeted approaches aimed at identified vulnerable pupils and families. In addition to promoting positive mental health and well-being, we aim to recognize and respond to needs as they arise. As a school we recognize that by developing and implementing practical, relevant and effective mental health procedures we can promote a safe and stable environment for children affected both directly and indirectly by mental ill health. ?Well-being is actively supported through the sports curriculum, healthy eating, personal and social education and onsite health.
Termly we have Well-Being afternoons where children utilize self-regulating activities to help them cope with their mental health in a positive way. During these afternoon children engage in healthy exercises such as meditation, yoga and mindfulness coloring. They use the acronym F.R.E.D (Food, Rest, Exercise, Devices) and celebrate their strengths.
Weekly, the children take part in PSHE lessons where they learn to develop social and emotional skills to recognize the world around them and understand how structures such as school, work, home and social environments can vary. Children get the opportunity to understand their whole-selves and potentials that they possess. Personal and social education encourages children to recognize their friends as well as vital emotional well-being support that surround them. The subject tackles social issues effectively through raising awareness and helping to prepare our children as they become young adults.
To ensure this is embedded in our practice we have daily activities which are selected from our well-being menu: skipping, going on a walk to get some fresh air, running, yoga, a quick warm-up exercise routine to be able to just take a moment to break free of routines and structure in the day and practice self-care. By committing to a whole school approach on well-being, all classroom teachers have their own unique approach in ensuring the welfare of their pupils, whether it be maintaining a mood scale, breathing exercises in between lessons or meeting with individual pupils who may need a break to talk out their stresses, mental health is at the forefront of learning.
Wellbeing is not just important to children but to all of us. For success of pupils in the school, it is vital that parents/carers and staff recognize wellbeing as a fundamental achievement in life.