Feeling comfortable at school, as well as being happy and healthy, has a direct impact on each student’s optimal learning and their confidence and resilience. The relationship between wellbeing and learning, therefore, is critical to the development of each boy.
Our goal is to provide a proactive environment to support students to develop skills and mindset to actively manage their wellbeing.
WELLBEING PROGRAMME
How do you describe wellbeing?
Wellbeing is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress.
Why is wellbeing so important in schools?
Overall wellbeing enhances intrinsic motivation, decreases disciplinary problems, increases academic achievement, improves school satisfaction and leads to flourishing of individuals, communities, and nations (Buecker et al., 2018).
Simply put, those who feel better can learn better.
Why is wellbeing important for teachers?
Investment in teacher wellbeing contributes to improved health and wellbeing for teachers and students, and ultimately, to positive learning outcomes. The education of children and young people is at the core of teachers’ work and learner success underpins the daily effort, enthusiasm, and commitment from teachers.
Promoting mental health in schools is something we must all prioritise. Mental health issues could affect anyone at any time, so it’s important we get it right and help our students as much as possible.
Teacher mental health is incredibly important and something we should all protect and support. Teacher burnout is too common and will continue to be a problem if it isn’t rectified.
FOUR STEPS TO WELLBEING
Connect with other people
Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing.
Be physically active
Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness.
Give to others
Finding meaning by giving back to the community doesn’t just benefit others – it benefits you.
Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Take notice: Be curious about the world and savour the moment.
PROMOTING WHOLE SCHOOL WELLBEING
Cordwalles is putting wellbeing at the heart of the school.
Connect: Build & encourage connections with people around you.
- ‘Morning Greeters’ at the gate, who stand alongside teachers welcoming children into school to start each day with a smile
- Get students to talk to each other and interact with people they wouldn’t usually talk to.
- ‘Be Nice to someone New’ campaign to promote connecting
- ‘Being in someone else’s shoes project’: helping students to understand and relate to differences
- Empathy project: encouraging students to connect more with people they don’t know
- Five minute Friendship’ – like speed dating, students are encouraged to talk to new people
- Have a ‘WOW Wednesday!’ lunch time club – the idea of this club is to be out on the playground and field every Wednesday with a different game/activity each week. The Ambassadors will demonstrate the game/activity and then encourage others who are feeling ‘left out’ or not sure what to do at lunch time to join in
- Implement a ‘Worry Box’ system in each classroom which the Wellbeing Ambassadors check on a weekly basis
- Have a ‘feelings’ box – with the school counsellors replying to the comments in a monthly health and wellbeing newsletter
Be Active: Boost your energy and mood by doing something active.
- Sports Leaders leading active play during lunchtime such as: fun basketball, soccer, fort building
- Run a ‘Be Active’ day during Healthy Living Week where, including activities such as an obstacle course and a treasure hunt
- Happiness forest walks by the Wellbeing Ambassadors
- Organise a school hiking trip
- Create a gardening club
Take Notice: Be curious about the world and savour the moment.
- Put a range of prompt questions up around school to encourage children and adults to take notice of others’ emotions such as: can you find someone who needs a helping hand today?
- Run a weekly ‘Mindfulness Club’ where students can come along and spend some quiet time colouring, listening to music and making posters to display on the Wellbeing Board
- Mindful meditation
- Mindful colouring in prep time
- Have a prayer space event, based around the idea of stillness, where children can come to at lunchtime if they need a place to be still
- A room to go to where you can calm down and work through tough emotions / distress
- Play relaxing music at lunchtime
- Have a ‘Gratitude Project’ – a series of assemblies; videos or resources that encourage students to ‘take notice’ of what is happening in the wider world – such as children who don’t have access to school; women who don’t have rights etc. to encourage students to feel grateful and appreciate more what they do have in their lives such as family, education, healthcare etc
Give: Do something nice for someone. Pay it forward.
- Promote a recycling project which the school is supporting
- Initiatives with Ashdown Primary School
- Monthly thank you notes to students and teachers
- Love Boxes and similar projects