At St John the Baptist CE Primary School, we see positive mental health and well-being as fundamental to our values and ethos.
We are continuously developing our Mental Health Team in school: we have a Senior Mental Health Lead (Miss Whittingham) plus several members of our staff team who are trained in Mental Health First Aid and led by our Executive Head Teacher.
Strategies in school which we utilise to support our children currently include ELSA, No Worries, SUMO plus whole class teaching throughout the curriculum and PSHE (including focus days and Mental Health Awareness Week) which promotes good mental health. We offer an open and caring approach to pupils, parents and carers.
If you are a family of our school and would like support in this area, please feel welcome to contact one of our team.
Social,_Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Policy November 2021
Space Makers
We are so pleased to announce that we are using Space Makers at St John the Baptist CE Primary School this year!
We will be using these calming and contemplative techniques to help children build spirituality and mindfulness. We will develop skills of Stilling, Noticing, Dwelling, Mending and Blessings to assist children in navigating the world around them.
Over time we will see children taking the lead in delivering the short sessions with their classmates.
Here is some information about the scheme:
Space Makers is a resource for schools and churches from the Diocese of Oxford. Accessible to pupils of all faiths and worldviews, five contemplative practices help schools to embrace some of the ancient wisdom of the Christian tradition and, in doing so, assist children to navigate the world around them.
Climate anxiety and the vast increase in screen time and exposure to social media seem to be causes of deteriorating mental health in young people.
The ancient contemplative traditions of Christianity, like its secular cousin ‘mindfulness’, have a lot to offer at this time.
