At Rodbourne Cheney Primary School, we pride ourselves on our caring, supportive ethos and are wholly committed to supporting each and every child with their mental and physical wellbeing. Consequently, we have developed a yearly whole-school wellbeing curriculum based on the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing':

Keep Learning

Give

Connect

Take Notice

Get Active

Each term, one of these five areas of wellbeing, alongside our key values, are interwoven in to all elements of school life to support our children in achieving their full potential. Due to the nature of our wellbeing curriculum, each child will be exposed to the same messages, regardless of which class they are in, although lessons will be tailored to the needs of each age group.

Term 1 - Keep Learning

Our first term focuses on the area 'Keep Learning'. According to the NHS, research shows that learning new skills can improve mental wellbeing by: boosting confidence and raising self-esteem; helping build a sense of purpose; and helping to connect with others. We as a school also realise the importance of learning new skills in enhancing the prospects of our children going forward, a key determiner for positive mental health in the future. During this term, the children will be encouraged to think about their strengths and the hard work they had to put in to get there. There will be lessons on 'Beautiful Mistakes' and 'Flearning' (Failure and Learning) where children will reflect on how we learn from mistakes and failures. There will also be lessons on perseverance and teamwork, and at least one lesson will be dedicated to learning a new skill.

Term 2 - Give

Our focus for the second term is 'Give'. According to the NHS, research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can improve mental wellbeing by:

  • Creating positive feelings and a sense of reward
  • Giving a feeling of purpose and self-worth
  • Helping to connect with others.

During the term, the children will be asked to complete random acts of kindness as part of secret missions across the school, give positive feedback to classmates through 'feel-good sticky notes' and also give back to the community through a range of activities including the ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ initiative (see below).

Term 3 – Connect

Term 3’s focus is all about making connections. During this term whole school-challenges are devised to enhance the feeling of school community whilst also promoting creativity, getting outdoors and family time. These are shared with our families on Twitter (see example below):

Term 4 – Take Notice

Taking Notice is about making time to appreciate the world around us. Being aware of the present moment and our own feelings and thoughts, can help our children positively change how they’re feeling about life. Activities in Term 4 include nature walks, counting our blessings, meditation and mindfulness.

Terms 5 and 6 – Be Active

Being active is great for our children’s physical health and fitness. But evidence shows that it can also improve mental wellbeing. As the summer approaches, we aim to get our children outdoors as much as possible with their usual two weekly PE lessons, Sports Day, Sports Week and much more.