Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Everything we do at Fourfields Primary School is based on ensuring the emotional health of every child. 

Giving our children the self-assurance and resilience to face challenges will help them lead successful and satisfying lives. The PSHE curriculum, nurture groups, and extracurricular programmes like Forest Schools, Music Therapy, and Dog Therapy are some of the methods used to achieve this. 

A lot of people struggle with their social, emotional, and mental health at some point in their lives. These may be the outcome of a more persistent problem or a significant event, such as illness or changes in the family. There are several ways for children to communicate their emotions in the classroom, such as: 

• A change in attitude  
• Becoming withdrawn 
• Becoming agitated  
• Friendship problems 

With the help of the other staff members at the school and the class teachers, many issues can be resolved. 

Teachers, support staff, play leaders and midday supervisors are all diligent in identifying and attending to the needs of the children. When a child confides in a reliable adult, the majority of problems may be resolved, hence it is crucial that parents contact the school if there is a problem. As soon as an issue emerges, parents should encourage their child to talk to someone at school.  

If more assistance is required, children can access support from Mrs. Wogan, our Mental Health lead.  

Mindfulness for parents and children

Your mental health can be enhanced by paying more attention to the here and now, including your own thoughts and feelings as well as the environment. This awareness is sometimes referred to as "mindfulness". We may appreciate life more and learn more about ourselves by practising mindfulness. It is possible for you to build it in your own life.

Mindfulness exercises are beneficial for children of all ages. Positive thoughts and less anxiety are two benefits of mindfulness. You can teach your child skills to support good mental health for the rest of their lives by practising mindfulness with them. Children can benefit from mindfulness by learning to quiet down and unwind before bed, which will make bedtime easier.

Numerous apps exist that might assist you and your child in developing mindfulness. The following are the top four ideas:

• Timer for insight -  There are meditations for both parents and children on this free app. As examples, they concentrate on unwinding, stress management, concentration, and sleep.
• Calm - For children of all ages, this app offers bedtime stories and mindfulness activities. Many use the app to encourage their children to unwind and recharge after a long day of learning.
• Headspace for Children -  With this software, parents and children of various ages can learn how to meditate together. Calm, kindness, and bedtime are their main priorities.
• YouTube  also has kid-friendly yoga and mindfulness exercises.

How do we keep our minds healthy?

Click HERE to watch a wonderful video made by Mrs Wogan.

This article on children's love language will enable you to support your child's mental health and wellbeing as well as your own. We do hope you find it informative.

School Activities

Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed a mental health afternoon based in the outdoors where we embarked on a mental health check-in!  With our orienteering course as a guide, we paired up to delve into thought-provoking questions like “How can showing kindness impact a person’s mental health?” We recorded our findings.

Under the blazing sun, surrounded by nature and with the music blaring, our spirits soared as we held our very own outdoor dance party! There couldn’t have been a better way to connect, learn and celebrate together.

Mental Health Check in