Wilford Wellness Week

We spent a week in school working on our physical and mental wellbeing, with a different focus each day. Activities included healthy eating, aerobics and dancing, Drumba and fitness circuits, and a fun run. Children were also invited to complete healthy eating, exercise and mental wellbeing challenges at home each day. Parents, carers and teachers all joined in with running a daily mile, dancing and doing aerobics in the playground before school each morning.

Mental Health Support Balloons

We thought about all of the people and things we could put in place in order to support our mental health and well-being.

SWiFTs- South Wilford Friendship Team

Playground Buddies (SWiFTS)- South Wilford Friendship Team operate across each year group. Each class teacher (Reception-Y6) has chosen a few students who will help out on the playground when their classes are outside. As SWiFTS, their responsibilities will include:

• To help all children to learn to play cooperatively with each other.
• To help children resolve minor conflicts.
• Teach children to play a wider range of games.
• Help lonely children make more friends.
• Most importantly, be available as a friend to all the other children

The aim of the scheme is to build positive role models in children. Our playground buddy scheme plays an important part in creating a safe, friendly, happy and peaceful atmosphere for children during breaks and lunchtimes.

The children who chosen to be a SWiFT attend training sessions. Within these sessions, the children agree on rules for working together and playground rules, become familiar with buddy roles and responsibilities in the playground, participate in Role Play dealing with playground situations, identify the skills and qualities needed to communicate and co-operate effectively with others, learn skills to help buddies be assertive, learn skills to help buddies manage anger.

The SWiFTS really enjoy their responsibilities, and not only do they make the playground a happy place for all the children, but also offer a great help to the staff on duty at lunchtime.

Children and Young People with Anxiety

Download a guide for parents and carers who may need guidance with anxiety.   

Click below for more links to support mental health and wellbeing

Children’s Mental Health Week 2021 

The theme for Children’s Mental Health Week this year was express yourself. Even though we were not all at school, we had many fantastic things to do and loved ‘expressing ourselves!’ Some of our teachers shared how they express themselves, which included art, dance and music and we loved hearing how the children joined in.

So many children made jars and filled them with activities to express themselves over the course of the week. We loved seeing some of the bin bag outfits created by Year 5, salt dough creations from Year 1 and Year 3 enjoying a good boogie. Every year group embraced the challenge so a big well done!

It has never been more important to know how to look after and protect our own mental health and our children are embracing this in a mature and positive way. Keep up the good work and remember that it is ok not to be ok. Remember all that you have learned and if things get too much, speak to a trusted adult that will be able to support you.

Here are some fabulous examples of how we expressed ourselves…

Resilience Leader Programme

Here at South Wilford Primary School, ten children from Year 5 and Year 6 have been training to become Resilience Leaders with Positively Empowered Kids. The aim of the programme is to:

• grow our self-awareness, self-esteem and mind-set
• gain an understanding of how and why thoughts and emotions happen
• be able to manage thoughts and emotions and be able to navigate life more easily and become more resilient

Over the last year the children have been learning about the Emotions Toolkit and how to come up with ideas to create their own. The children will then showcase their toolkit to the rest of the school community. The aim of the Emotions Toolkit is for the children to use it with their peers to support them with managing their own emotions on an individual basis.

ELSA / Nurture

At South Wilford we have a qualified ELSA, which stands for, Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. The role of the ELSA is to help children recognise, understand and manage their emotions through planned programmes of support whilst building a trusting relationship with that adult in a safe secure space within school.  

The ELSA can support children who are experiencing difficulties with:

• Anxiety
• Self-esteem
• Relationship and friendship issues
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement
• Problem solving and thinking skills

The ELSA receives regular professional supervision from Nottingham City Educational Psychology Services.

December Daily Challenge

To spread a little happiness and take a little time for our wellbeing every day we are going to be trying to complete a daily challenge all through December.

How many days can you complete?

Have a lovely time and remember to make time for you.

The 'Heart Bus'

The 'Heart Bus' visited school and taught us all about how we can look after our mental health and wellbeing.

Mentally Healthy Schools Toolkit Links

Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured resources that have been created by experienced and qualified professionals. They aim to promote children’s mental health and wellbeing. To support parents and teachers during these uncertain and unprecedented times we are sharing some key resources that you may find useful.

Click here for toolkit 1 

Click here for toolkit 2

Click here for toolkit 3