Mindfulness and Mental Health and Ulverley

Mindfulness is the act of being in the present; not thinking about the past, not worrying about the future. Through Mindfulness, we can see things with greater clarity. Mindfulness helps to build acceptance and emotional resilience.

Ulverley is now becoming a Mindful school. All staff have recieved training on the benifits of Mindfulness and the strategies they can use in the classroom, on the playground and in the wider school community.

Mindfulness is personal to every indivdiual. Some people may find it helps them to focus on their breathing. Others may enjoy visualisation exercises. For some people, they may need to be more phsyical, for example, practising shooting footballs into a goal. It doesn't matter how you are mindful, just that you are focused on the present moment.

From there, you can see things clearly for what or how they really are.

Below are some exercises recommended by SISS (Specialist Inclusion Support Service). This page will be continually updated as we all learn more and see the impact of Mindfulness.

We have also been working on our provision to support Mental Health. The positive message from the Government is that Mental Health should be talked about. We all have mental health of some description and this can change on a week by week, day by day or even sometimes hour by hour basis. We may have positive mental health and feel happy and revitalised when we wake up, but a disagreement with a friend or colleague could cause our mental health to take a dip. For too long mental health has retained this stigma of 'being crazy'. At Ulverley we are here to change that perseption.

This year, Miss Thompson and Mrs King have trained as Mental Health First Aiders. This is exactly the same principle as phsyical first aid, but rather than attending to cuts and bruises, mental health first aid focuses on the mind and emotions. We are not therapists, but we can listen and support. As a school, we have a growing understanding of mental health and the wealth of difficulties any individual, child or adult, can experience.

Below are two powerpoints delivered this year regarding mental health and mindfulness to all children. The second assembly looks at what happens to our brain when we are angry or stressed and how Mindfulness can have a positive impact.