IN ASSOCIATION WITH
“ TWO HOUSE POINTS FOR RESILIENCE !”
LOCKDOWN WELL-BEING AT MARLBOROUGH HOUSE SCHOOL
AT MARLBOROUGH HOUSE SCHOOL , WE ARE DEDICATED TO PROMOTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG PEOPLE , NOT JUST AS A STANDALONE INITIATIVE TACKED ON TO THE CURRICULUM , BUT AS AN INTEGRATED PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES AT SCHOOL . AS OUR SCHOOL HAS MOVED ONLINE , SO HAS THIS PROVISION , WITH AN INCREASED EMPHASIS ON WELL-BEING ACROSS THE WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY .
Lockdown Well-being
During this period of online learning , teachers ' daily live link-ups with children enable them to continue to offer emotional support to even our youngest pupils . One size does not fit all , but communication is key , as is resilience and independence from the children . In addition , live PSHE ( Personal , Social , Health and Economic Education ) lessons , for Reception to Year 8 , provide an established framework for delivering skills to support good mental health .
The PSHE curriculum is underpinned by our Character Education ; introduced in 2018 , heralding a renewed focus on well-being . Each term a series of character strengths are explored in lessons . Last week in Year 2 PSHE , Mrs Reid , head of preprep , talked about an important character strength for us all at the moment – resilience . They discussed how Anna ( Frozen ), Woody ( Toy Story ) and Merida ( Brave ) all show ’ stickability ’ and keep going when things get tough . Children were rewarded for showing they were able to resist something or for persevering when they found something hard - " two house points for showing resilience and self-control "! They also reflected on ' Valuing Self and Others ' - being kind to yourself and other people , with wristbands being posted to those who had helped out at home .
In the Prep School , we follow the Jigsaw PHSE scheme of work . This is a mindful approach to PHSE , to encourage independence of thought and appreciation of contemplation . This term children are reflecting on ‘ Celebrating Difference ’, in live lessons with Mrs Walker , head of PSHE ; providing further opportunity to talk about how everyone is coping with lockdown life .
Pre-Prep to Year 4 continue their focus on outdoor learning , with Forest School activities – providing another notable reminder of the positive effects of the great outdoors on our mental health and well-being . In the Prep School , live workout classes from the sports department have been a great success , ensuring children enjoy the benefits of exercise during a winter lockdown .
Looking Ahead
When schools reopen , we know that well-being will continue to be a key focus as children and the whole school community comes to terms with the experiences of the past year . We look forward to pupils benefiting again from our independent listening service , our therapy dogs for Pre-Prep children and cross year group support initiatives .
We know that preventative action is better than a reactive response . So , in taking the time to frontload our children with this important knowledge about interpreting how they feel and who they can speak to , we hope to provide our pupils with the skills to support their own mental health in the face of the current situation and throughout their lives .
Register online for your virtual school tour .
www . marlboroughhouseschool . co . uk
MarlboroughHouseSchool marlboroughhouse . school
121