Wellbeing
Wellbeing Week 27th - 31st January 2025
St Michael and All Angels conducted a highly successful Wellbeing Week, empowering its pupils and staff to prioritise their mental and physical health.
The week-long event, which took place from January 27th to 31st, was a comprehensive initiative designed to help the school community learn effective strategies for maintaining their overall wellbeing. Pupils engaged in a range of activities, including a mindfulness yoga session led by Kath Gibbons and a mindfulness art project was completed by Year 4 pupils for the Winter Bloom Festival.
Throughout the week, teachers incorporated aspects of wellbeing into their lessons, ensuring that the focus on self-care and mental health permeated the entire school curriculum. The week culminated in a "casual clothes day" and a football session delivered by Aimee Johnstone, a player for Southport Women and Edgehill University.
St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary VA School is a vibrant and inclusive learning community that places a strong emphasis on the holistic development of its pupils. By dedicating a week to promoting wellbeing, the school has demonstrated its commitment to nurturing the overall health and happiness of its students and staff.
Introducing Mo, our school's therapy dog!
Mo comes into school to help!
PAWS Therapy & Assistance Dog Training is one of the UK's Leading authorities on Animal Assisted Learning, Animal Assisted Interventions and Assistance Dog Training.
At St Michael and All Angels CE VA School we aim to promote the positive mental health and well-being of every member of our school community and recognise how important mental health and well-being is to our lives, as is physical health. We recognise that children’s mental health and overall well-being can affect their learning and achievement.
A key aspect of our role in school is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress, and that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. We also have a role to ensure that children learn about what they can do to maintain positive mental health, what affects their mental health, how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and where they can go if they need help and support.
Definitions
Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. (World Health Organization).
In our school our Christian Mission shapes all we do: “Working together to achieve our best, we listen, love and learn through Christ.” Because of this we aim to promote positive mental health for every member of our staff and pupil body. We pursue this aim using both universal, whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches aimed at vulnerable pupils.
A holistic approach to promoting positive mental health and well-being
We have a whole school approach to promoting positive mental health and well-being. Our vision is for all pupils to flourish and have ‘fullness of life’.
This is achieved by:
Creating an ethos, policies and behaviours that support mental health and resilience and which everyone understands
Helping children to develop social relationships support each other and seek help when they need it.
Helping children be resilient learners
Teaching children social and emotional skills and an awareness of mental health
Early identification of children who have mental health needs and planning to support their needs, including working with specialist services.
Effectively working with parents and carers
Supporting and training staff to develop their skills and own resilience
Developing an open culture that encourages discussion and understanding of mental health awareness
Our schools’ Christian character contributes to the personal development and well-being of all learners. The Christian vision of the school supports the well-being of pupils by helping the pupils to develop their spiritual growth and moral understanding.
Useful Website
Mental "Elf" at Christmas 2021!Look after your'elf is the message to children across Lancashire and South Cumbria this Christmas In a bid to keep children across Lancashire healthy and safe this winter, our NHS colleagues at Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria have developed a character called Harry the Health Elf and are encouraging schools across the county to join Harry’s healthy winter adventure, by downloading and sharing Harry’s Winter Healthy Advent Calendar. Each day of the advent calendar (that cannot be opened until on the day) will open to a video of Harry sharing a special message, aimed at reminding children across the region how to stay healthy over the festive period and beyond. These messages will range from eating well, keeping warm, how to stay safe and where to turn if they or their loved one falls ill.
Useful resources to download