At Ecchinswell and Sydmonton CE Primary School we are committed to developing the ‘whole’ child which means we care about how children develop socially and emotionally as well as academically. We have a strong focus on pupil well-being and mental health.

The school does this in a variety of ways.

• Being a small school, we know the children really well and we have a strong team of both support and teaching staff who have the children’s best interests at heart.

• A set of Christian values and learning values which are specifically taught.

• A clear set of school rules which provide safe boundaries.

• A curriculum which is based around the interests of the pupils.

• A robust personal, social, health and emotional (PSHE) curriculum.

• Opportunities for mindfulness across the school.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a practice where you use the five senses to engage physically and non-judgmentally with the world around you. When you do a task with mindful awareness, you do it with 100% of your energy and attention.

Mindfulness can help children:

• feel empowered, so they can learn to try new things and take more risks.
• overcome anxiety when they make mistakes by using techniques like deep breathing and tensing and relaxing the muscles.
• overcome negative self-talk by promoting self-love and self-compassion.

Mindfulness activities include breathing, yoga-type activities, listening to music, being outside and enjoying nature and colouring.

What to do if you are worried about a child’s mental health and well-being

Talk to your child and ask them if anything is bothering them. This is often most successful if the subject is raised whilst doing something where you are both relaxed such as playing a game, colouring or baking together.

If they do not open up freely then encourage them to talk to another family member or an adult at school.

You can also discuss the matter with your child’s classteacher.