Over a whole morning, we held a pastoral carousel with Years 5 and 6 with the aim of giving the children the tools they can use to maintain a healthy mind, healthy relationships and be safe and happy in the community.
The children were divided into three groups and rotated between various activities throughout the morning.
- We were delighted to welcome Lucy Silk, who is an instructor for Mental Health First Aiders, a SENCO at Perrott Hill School and a qualified instructor for the Mindfulness in Schools Project. She addressed the children about training their minds to regulate their emotions through a mixture of science and role play. She specifically discussed how we can all avoid loosing our temper and flipping out, and how to deal effectively with stress and anxiety.
- Mr Pitman, teacher and head of Learning4Life at Westbourne House, presented to the children on invisible disabilities, with a specific focus on epilepsy. In one exercise, pupils formed themselves into a human brain whilst others represented the messages sent around the body to make it work. They demonstrated how epileptic brain activity can affect the body. Children were also challenged to identify celebrities and their invisible disabilities.
- To help the children avoid forming social cliques, there was a session on social hierarchy run by Mr Brown and Mrs Sleep, both teachers at Westbourne House. This session involved discussing what is important in group dynamics and valuing the strengths of others. The thoughts of the two year groups were recorded on paper and will be used to inform lessons on relationships in Learning4Life sessions. Mr Allingham, designated safeguarding lead at Westbourne House, gave the children a child’s eye view of safeguarding.
In the week afterwards, we have continued to discuss and further the ideas and principles learnt. We would be delighted if parents would ask their child to teach them about how to avoid flipping out and what to do if you do. Children will also be teaching teachers at Westbourne House. It was an excellent interactive morning.
