Autumn Term

Year 2

Our Year 2 class had 'Feelings' sessions with Kate from The Piece of Mind Team (previously known as the Mental Health Support Team). In the sessions they learned about their emotions, feelings and how to recognise worry.  The children really enjoyed the activity where they made their own worry monster. They learned calming and distraction strategies to help them in those difficult moments. Many thanks to Kate for delivering the 'Feelings Sessions'.

Mindfulness with Adam Bushnell

In November Adam came into school to work with a group of Key Stage 2 children to teach Mindfulness - a great skill for everyone to learn.  It has helped to equip the children with the tools to build self-esteem and manage stress.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the sessions which consisted of art activities and mindful colouring, music and pet therapy, as well as learning very useful breathing and meditation skills. A very big thankyou to Adam for coming into school yet again!

Year 3

Omera and Kate from The Piece of Mind Team delivered the 'We Eat Elephants' sessions to Year 3 in the New Year.  The sessions focused on the emotional literacy and introduced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles.  The course used engaging, story-based scenarios based on 4 individual characters to support children to identify emotions and consider helpful and unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Thank you to Omera and Kate for helping our Year 3 children.

January 2023

In the New Year a group of Key Stage 1 children received a 6-week early intervention wellbeing programme delivered by Live Well North East C.I.C in partnership with Relax Kids Durham.  The Countrywide Children's Wellbeing Programme is a new project which is supported by the County Durham Children's Wellbeing and Mental Health Partnership Group and funded by Durham County Council. Only a chosen number of schools were selected to receive the programme which involved movement exercises, relaxation including visualisations, mindful and autogenic exercises, all elements of which are evidence based and play an important part in self-regulation.

The children enjoyed attending the sessions where they talked about a different emotion each week, what different feelings might feel like in their bodies, the thoughts they might have and what they could try to do if these feelings become overwhelming.  The group really enjoyed the movement and relaxation aspects of the sessions and were sad when the 6 weeks came to an end.  Thank you very much to Kathryn Zand, Community Wellbeing Team Leader from LiveWell NE for coming into school to deliver the sessions!