Wellbeing

 

At St John XXIII Catholic Primary, the wellbeing of our pupils is our top priority. We understand that the primary years are crucial for developing a strong foundation in both education and personal growth. Our dedicated staff are committed to creating a nurturing environment where every child is valued and supported. We integrate our Catholic values of care and compassion into all aspects of school life, ensuring that your children not only excel academically but also develop a strong sense of moral and emotional awareness.

We believe that listening is fundamental to providing effective support. Our teachers and support staff actively listen to the needs of our pupils to tailor our approach to each individual. Partnering with MIND and other organisations, we offer resources and programs designed to address the mental health and emotional well-being of our pupils. These initiatives help equip our children with the resilience and tools they need to navigate their formative years with confidence and positivity.

Your involvement as parents is crucial in our collaborative approach to child wellbeing. We encourage you to engage with our school’s activities and resources, provide feedback, and communicate openly with us about your child’s needs and experiences. Together, we can ensure that your child receives the comprehensive care and support necessary to thrive not just at school, but in all areas of life.

At St John XXIII Catholic Primary we:

• Commit to promoting positive well-being throughout our school community.
• Understand the importance of well-being and the role it plays in creating an environment where all are healthy, happy and achieve their best.
• Listen, support and respond to the views of our community and provide opportunities to equip all with the tools needed to maintain a positive well-being​.

We see well-being in a broad sense which includes physical, spiritual and emotional health. We recognise that children’s emotional health is a crucial factor in their overall well-being and can affect their learning and achievement.

What is ‘good’ emotional health and well-being in our school?

• To be resilient, confident, adaptable and collaborative
• The ability to recognise, acknowledge and manage our feelings
• The ability to develop caring and concern for others
• The ability to develop meaningful, positive and long-lasting relationships
• The ability to take responsibility for ourselves and make practical decisions
• The knowledge of how to promote our own well-being

Good emotional health and well-being includes everyone within our school community

Some whole school approaches to promote positive mental health and well-being:

• Use of the Zones of Regulation to help us connect with, identify and manage our emotions
• Strong links with the mental health charity Mind - St John XXIII is a Mind pilot school and collaborate with Mind on many intiatives to develop our knowledge, understanding and practices around mental health and well-being
• Broad, balanced and enriched curriculum where there are opportunities to take part in activities that promote, enhance and teach us about our well-being.

Wellbeing Across the Curriculum and School Day

At St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, we recognise that being creative, being active and going outdoors is positive for the well-being of our pupils. We believe that positive mental health and well-being should be a central part of our day-to-day school life and a key part of our curriculum. Our teachers plan exciting, engaging and creative lessons for our children allowing them to not only progress academically but develop socially and emotionally into well-rounded individuals. More details about the curriculum in each subject can be found on the 'Curriculum' page of this website.

Daily Zones check-ins

Using Zones of Regulation, all our children have the opportunity to reflect upon how they’re feeling and discuss this with their peers and an adult.

Class worship and RE

Self-reflection, meditation and time to be with ourselves are all important parts of maintaining positive well-being. Through daily acts of class worship children take part in Christian meditation and reflective prayer. While through the lessons of Jesus, children learn the importance of kindness, giving and love for each other and God's world.

Well-Being Room

At lunch time children have the opportunity to visit the Well-Being Room where they can talk to a trusted adult or simply relax away from the noise of the playground.

PE

Physical activity is so important to good mental health and well-being and our children enjoy PE lessons twice a week. PE sessions are led by our specialist ‘Let’s Leap’ sports coach, Mr Johal. Children play a variety of different sports and games including football, rugby, basketball, netball, cricket, tennis and practise various track and field events. Our Dance Teacher, Ewan, is also in school every Thursday while children in KS2 swim weekly for one term each year.

Art

Our pupils look forward to an Art lesson each week where pupils develop their art and design skills in a variety of media (including paint, pencil, pastels, printing and 3D work).

Peace Garden and the Outdoors

Our pupils have access to the Peace Garden at breaktimes and lunchtime, a place where they can relax, enjoy the plants and spend time with their friends. Our outdoor spaces are a great place to explore the natural world in a variety of ways in the mud kitchen, through digging and planting and observing plants. 

Classes also make regular visits to the local Phoenix Farm.

Computing

Through the Computing curriculum, children learn to stay safe online. Older pupils learn about the harmful impact over-use of social media can have on our mental health, well-being and self-image while also learning how to identify and verify accurate sources of information.

PSHRE

Our pupils are taught a PSHRE curriculum that is tailor-made to our pupil's needs. The curriculum is based around three main themes over the year: Celebrating Differences, Healthy Me and Relationships. Pupils are explicitly taught about positive mental health and well-being within these sessions.

Zones of Regulation Curriculum

The Zones of Regulation are taught alongside the PSHRE curriculum. These lessons help the children develop emotional literacy and understand how to identify and regulate their feelings. For more information on the Zones of Regulation click here 

Music

Music is an important creative outlet for our children and a great way of maintaining positive mental health. Children enjoy weekly music lessons with our specialist music teacher, Mr Dalledone. Children also enjoy regular opportunities to perform pieces of music in class assemblies, singing together in hymn practices and, in Upper KS2, opportunities to join the School Choir and the School of Rock.

Where to find help?

It is important that you look after your own and your children's physical and mental well-being. Children with high levels of well-being are better learners. Below you will find more information on how you and your family can take care of yourselves and where you can go if you or any member of your family are struggling with your mental health or well-being.

Remember, you can always approach your child's class teacher, any member of the school Senior Leadership Team, Mrs Nolan or Miss Alderson as the school SENCOs or Mr Bloomfield as the mental health and well-being lead if you are concerned about your own mental health or that of any child in school. We may be able to provide you support as a school or alternatively direct you to some appropriate resources or organisations.

If you are looking for resources on behalf of someone else it can sometimes be tricky to know where to start. All of the resources we direct you to below have been selected specifically by Mind. 

The 5 Ways to Wellbeing

At St John XXIII Primary School we try to include the 5 Ways to Well-Being in everyday life. These are nationally recognised strategies that can be used to improve everybody’s well-being on a daily basis.

CONNECT –With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, church, school or in your local community.

BE ACTIVE –Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance.

TAKE NOTICE -Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling.

KEEP LEARNING –Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food.

GIVE -Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in.

Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation has now been introduced to all the children and your child will learn more about the Zones in a series of lessons which will be delivered during the Autumn Term alongside the PSHRE Curriculum. As these lessons are delivered and your child learns more about the Zones, please check back here for more information and resources that you can use at home.

The Zones of Regulation work most effectively when the child can refer to their feelings and emotions with reference to the Zones both in school and at home. Therefore, we encourage you to use the Zones at home to help your child identify how they're feeling, to self-regulate their emotions and to deploy strategies to help them move between the Zones.

What are the Zones of Regulation?
Learning to identify and regulate emotions is a big job, especially for young children! The children at St John XXIII are learning about the ‘Zones of Regulation’ which is a model to help children identify their feelings, identify which ‘zone’ they belong to and allow them to regulate their own feelings and behaviours. 

We describe these zones using the colours blue, green, yellow and red.

• In the Blue Zone we describe our bodies as ‘Running Slow.’
• In the Green Zone we are ‘Good to Go.’ This is the Zone where we are most focussed and is normally the best Zone for the classroom.
• In the Yellow Zone we remember to ‘Proceed with Caution.’ This is the Zone where we are beginning to lose control.
• In the Red Zone we have lost control and we must remember to ‘STOP.’

The Zone of Regulation curriculum teaches children how to read their body’s signals, detect triggers, read social context, and consider how their behaviours impact those around them. We teach our children that there are no bad Zones to be in and that it is ok to be in any one Zone. We teach our children strategies to help them stay in Zones or move between them.

Every class has a visual display of the ‘Zones of Regulation’ that is used daily and referred to during PSHRE lessons and used as points for discussion. The teachers also use this model to explain how they are feeling and which strategies they can use to help them during challenging times.