Wellbeing

 

Our Wellbeing Vision:

Positive wellbeing creates fearless minds. You matter, we care.

“Wellbeing is what you become, it’s how you feel about things and manage when things are hard.” - Romney, aged 10.  

Sprites Primary Academy recognise that positive mental health and wellbeing is just as important as our physical health, we know that our children's mental health affects their learning outcomes, impacting on their ability to go out into the world with a fearless mindset where anything is possible. 

 

How are we promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in our school?

  • Fearless Curriculum - incorporating our values: Safe, Polite and Aspirational
  • PHSE lessons – Jigsaw curriculum
  • 'Good to be Green' Behaviour Policy - Verbal praise, Stickers, Certificates, Always Star, House Points, Prizes, parents invited to celebration assembly
  • Pastoral Team - THRIVE and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
  • Peer Pals 
  • Luna our School Dog
  • Clubs – lunchtime / after school
  • Gardening club – during school hours
  • Whole school events - Colour Run, Staff Panto, Jubilee celebrations, Flash Mob
  • 11 before 11 promises
  • Communication: open morning for parents, parent forum, Dojo, emails via Arbor, website and weekly newsletter
  • Community fridge

 

Here at Sprites wellbeing is a priority and as such we are currently working towards the Wellbeing Award for Schools  ensuring that mental health and wellbeing sit at the heart of our school life. 

                                                                                                                                                                               

Our School Dog

The value of pet therapy is widely accepted as a powerful aid to stimulation and communication in both children and adults.  Studies have shown that the presence of companion animals can improve the well-being of children and lower rates of anxiety, simply by making the environment happier, calmer, more enjoyable and less forbidding.   School dogs have been proven to help develop pupils reading skills, improve behaviour, attendance and academic confidence, as well as increasing pupil understanding of responsibility and develop empathy and nurturing skills.  

Our School Dog ‘Luna’ lives with our Deputy Headteacher, Mr Ashley and his family.  Luna is a very caring, docile, gentle and well-behaved dog who was selected for having the right breeding and temperament to be a therapy dog. She has experience of being in a school from when she was a puppy, and has learned how to react well to children.  Please click here to see our risk assessment.  

                     

 

Luna Fact File

Date of birth: 13/6/2019

Favourite foods: biscuits, broccoli, carrots and pizza

Favourite activities: eating, playing, listening to stories, swimming, going for walks and having my belly rubbed!

What does Luna do at our school? Listens to children read, acts as a reward for good behaviour / good attendance, is a good listener to anyone who may want to talk and cleans the hall floor of food after lunch!

Wellbeing at Sprites

 

We have taken inspiration from Mind and from the NHS 5 steps to mental wellbeing to create our Sprites' SMILE approach for positive wellbeing (Socialise, Move, Interest, Learn and Engage).  Evidence suggests trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.  By working together, we hope to encourage children, their families and our entire school community to be to take care of their own mental health and wellbeing.   Below, you will find a range of resources, strategies and suggestions of ways that could support your child and your families’ wellbeing inside and outside of school.

Our SMILE approach for positive wellbeing:

 

Socialise

  • Talk to others: a friend, a teacher, a family member, a work colleague or a neighbour. It’s important to make time for quality conversation
  • Listen to others. By offering you support to others, you will feel a personable connection that supports positive emotions
  • Arrange a time to meet a friend who you haven’t seen in a while. You could go to the park for a picnic, go for a walk or a bike ride
  • Volunteer at your local school, food bank or community group

 

Move

  • Search online to access some free fitness activities
  • Go for a walk
  • Join a local sports team
  • Take part in after school clubs
  • Follow the free NHS couch to 5K app
  • Dance like nobody is watching!

 

Interest

  • Play “I Spy” on your way to school
  • Try sitting outside and listing everything you hear in a 2-minute period
  • Listen to a mindfulness guided meditation session
  • Working from your toes to your head, take notice of how your body feels
  • Tune into your senses: what can you smell? What can you taste?
  • Try some new foods and notice how they taste and how your body reacts

 

Learn

  • Follow a new recipe or try some baking
  • Have a go at a homework challenge
  • Investigate what clubs run in your local area such as scouts or brownies; you can learn lots of great life skills there!
  • Try taking up a new regular hobby like a sport, writing a daily diary or painting

 

Engage

  • Say thank you for something someone has done for you
  • Offer to help a friend with their homework/a project
  • Volunteer in your local community
  • Invite a friend ‘round for dinner
  • Donate unwanted or unused items to charity
  • Challenge yourself to a random act of kindness

 

 
 

Wellbeing Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information can be found on our 'Early Help' section.