10 February 2023
Children’s Mental Health Week 2023:
To celebrate this significant week, we have enjoyed a range of different activities across the whole-school.
These have included:
-Daily videos from our pastoral care/ PE team discussing some key aspects in supporting good mental health. The themes included: diet, exercise, sleep and positive relationships/ mindfulness.
-A whole-school assembly to launch the week, based on mental health and its vital importance.
-On Friday, to conclude the week, each class made a ‘human paperchain’ with each pupil having the opportunity to set themselves a goal- reflecting on their learning from the videos etc. This activity linked to this year’s theme of ‘Let’s Connect’.
-Linked to this (and to Safer Internet Day), we hosted a Parental Workshop based on E-Safety, which was led by Cumbria Police.
-On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, Year 3 and 4 enjoyed a visit from Orian Solutions Smoothie Bike! The children learnt about the importance of a balanced diet and exercise and how this impacts positively on their mental health. Each child had a turn at pedalling on the bike to blend the fruit. Naturally, at the end, they all got to taste the smoothie they had produced.
-Additionally, other activities have included: special themed stories, circle time, Yoga and mindfullness- all linked to positive mental health.
However, at Fairfield Primary School, we focus on mental health and well-being every day of the year.
Through our extensive and long-established pastoral care, we help to improve the well-being of all our pupils. Our highly experienced pastoral team deliver intervention ranging from highly effective one-to-one counselling/pastoral care and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) to successful Nurture Group provision and Well-Being Workshops. Additionally, within our high-quality first teaching, we incorporate extra opportunities within the school day for children to express their feelings and discuss emotions that they may find tricky to understand. Mental Heath is also embedded within our PHSE curriculum, where teachers explore situations and scenario to equip children with the resilience to cope with all aspects in life.
