Wellbeing
At Manor, we prioritise our pupil’s wellbeing with high importance. We understand that wellbeing is fundamental to the overall health of an individual, enabling them to successfully overcome difficulties and achieve.
Our PSHE curriculum was created on a firm basis of developing positive wellbeing within our pupils, along with the skills and attributes needed to contribute to this. Our school values: equality, respect, resilience, ambition, inquisitiveness, kindness, independence and confidence are embedded throughout our whole school curriculum and underpin key skills that children need to be well equipped with in order to develop positive wellbeing.
We are aware of the difficulties and challenges that Covid-19 has bought to many of the families and children that are part of the Manor community. Therefore, we have adapted our PSHE curriculum to tailor for these needs and implemented a range of strategies, which help measure, monitor and develop our pupil’s wellbeing.
Literature
We include a range of literature that focuses on wellbeing, including: the Colour Monster, the Worrysaurus, ‘How to fill a bucket’ and other high quality texts into our discussion time. These texts help children to identify different feelings within themselves and how to manage them.
Calm Down Activities
Children have access to a range of calm down resources in the classroom that allows them to take time out and manage their feelings appropriately, which is a key life skill, without popping any bubbles.
Working closely with parents
We work closely with parents/carers in order to gain a clear understanding of our pupils needs and how we can provide for and support those needs in school. We also provide support for parents/carers and signpost for further support. We take pride in the strong relationships that we have with parents/carers in order to provide the highest quality support to our pupils both in school and at home.
Home Learning
Our PSHE home learning for when children need to self-isolate or in case of another lockdown has a wellbeing focus. It looks at how we can maintain a healthy wellbeing and investigates the different feelings we may be experiencing and how to deal with them successfully. In upper KS2, we also have a focus on internet and phone safety so that they understand how to keep themselves safe.
Mindfulness
Children have access to mindfulness colouring. If they feel they need to calm down or take a minute to reflect on their feelings, then they can request to complete their mindfulness colouring whilst doing so. Children are also taught mindfulness breathing techniques as calm down strategies. You can find more information about mindfulness and some activities here.
The Wellbeing Scale
Upon arrival at school, children show teachers how they are currently feeling on the wellbeing scale with 1 being very angry and 5 being extremely happy. If children are on a 1, they are encouraged to use the calm down strategies provided. Once children have moved up to a 2, we then discuss why they are feeling low and how we can support them in working their way back up the scale. Children have access to their visual wellbeing scales throughout the day in order to show staff how they are feeling. This allows staff to measure and closely monitor pupil wellbeing throughout the day and provide appropriate support.
If you would like to see our behaviour policy please visit our policy page here.
Worry Monsters
Worry monsters are present in every class. This provides children the opportunity to write down their worries and place it in the worry monster. Teachers then check these daily and address the worries as a whole class. If the worry raises a safeguarding concern, then the school’s safeguarding procedure is adhered to.
Opportunities to talk
Children are given opportunities throughout the day to talk with a member of staff if needed. They also have whole class discussions regularly, where a safe and welcoming environment has been created through the use of ground rules in PSHE. This allows children to openly discuss any feelings, worries or concerns that they are experiencing.
Pupil questionnaires
Children complete anonymous wellbeing questionnaires in order for us to measure wellbeing within classes and provide additional support within classes that require it. This also gives us the opportunity to reflect on how we need to adapt our PSHE curriculum for particular classes in order to meet the children’s needs.
'GLAD'
At the end of every school day, children complete the GLAD model. As a class, they discuss what they are grateful for, what they have learnt, what they achieved and what or who delighted them. This allows them to focus on the positives of their day.
