Mindfulness in School. Linda Smith Director of Wellbeing The Three Saints Academy Trust

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2 Mindfulness in School Linda Smith Director of Wellbeing The Three Saints Academy Trust

3 School should be The school environment is second only to the parental home as the most important influence on a child s development

4 Government defines wellbeing as a: a positive, physical, social and mental state

5 Mental Wellbeing encompasses factors such as: Sense of feeling good about ourselves and being able to function well individually or in relationships Ability to deal with the ups and downs of life, such as coping with challenges and making the positive of opportunities; The feeling of connection to our community and surroundings Having control and freedom over our lives Having a sense of purpose and feeling valued.

6 Reports May 2017 Royal Society of PH report Status of Mind found social media use directly linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression and poor sleep with cyber bullying increasingly becoming a problem July 2017 Report for Children s Commissioner for England found over 800,000 children in England have a mental health problem. Of pupils referred to CAMHS in 2015 only 14% were able to access a service immediately. December 2017 Green Paper on Transforming C&YP Mental Health Provision 61% do not feel trained enough to support pupils suffering a mental health problem despite vision set out in January 2017 by Theresa May. January 2018 Children s Commissioner for England report Life in Likes recommending schools improve knowledge of how social media impacts on C&YP s wellbeing and children being digital literate as well as emotionally literate.

7 Pupil Mental Health Crisis? National Survey in November 2017 The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools - Leeds Beckett University and Hub4Leaders 57.8% felt insufficient mental health provisions within their schools Not enough support for schools only - 19% felt trained enough. 86% felt Social media has had a direct impact 93% feel DfE should publish more guidance 73% want Ofsted to do more

8 So What Can We Do? Skill up staff Tools in our toolbox Peer support Conditions for learning Wellbeing Surveys/Action Plans for pupils and staff Awareness of where to signpost for support Multi-agency working

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11 Me and My Team Designated Safeguarding Lead MISP Instructor Advanced practitioner CSE CEOP Ambassador Stonewall Champion Young Carers Champion Mental Health First Aiders EFT Practitioners Utilise: playskills, sandplay, nurturing principles,, CBT, SFBT, therapeutic use of self, resilient therapy, lego therapy, mindfulness, Creative therapies such as drawing and talking, training re support for self-harm and suicide, bereavement, trauma and attachment, children with families in prison, children in care.

12 "If you can believe, all things are possible to those who believe" - Mark 9:23 The Three Saints Academy Trust creates belief in all by: Creating nurturing relationships built on trust, care and respect Instilling a love of learning, through fun and memorable experiences Having high expectations in all we do Providing an environment of opportunity where all can grow and succeed

13 BELIEVE in Children s Mental Health

14 Glass of Water and Stress Pick up a glass of water.

15 When stress piles upon stress without the relief of an equal portion of relaxation, the body begins to shut out all sensory intake and the learning process is completely blocked Vimala McClure Founder of Infant Massage

16 Brain Development We experience the world with all our senses which constantly send messages to the brain via the nervous system. Based on the type of stimuli received by our senses, nerves create pathways which in turn activate the brain. If we are fearful, stressed, suffering anxiety all our oxygen goes to our survival brain and is used to protect and help us to survive activating our amygdala in our brainstem, our fight, flight, freeze mechanism sending us into an hyper or hypo state of arousal Our limbic (our emotional brain) will not be functioning nor will our pre-frontal cortex (our cognitive brain) we are programmed to survive! Until our brain gets the message we are safe we will not be able to access our limbic or pre-frontal cortex parts of our brain.

17 The Other Side of the Story What Are You Thinking?

18 Tools in Your Toolbox Mindfulness Relaxation Massage in Schools Yoga

19 Mindfulness Mindfulness helps you to go home to the present Thich Nhat Hanh Global spiritual leader and poet

20 Mindfulness Mindfulness is simply: AWARENESS It is simply noticing our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and anything that is around us and happening RIGHT NOW

21 Mindfulness It is paying attention to the present moment and using techniques such as: Meditation Breathing Yoga Guided relaxation

22 Mindfulness Most of us on autopilot caught up in habitual ways of thinking and feeling especially in times of stress. By being conscious we develop a more reflective rather than reactive response to situations. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed we are better able to manage them. It means consciously bringing awareness to our experience, in the present moment, without making judgements about it.

23 Mindfulness NOT Sitting in silence and being calm IT IS ABOUT Observing body sensations, feelings and thoughts with interest and curiosity and to learn to accept these without judgement. As they gain more insight into their own feelings and behaviour they can then become more aware and sensitive to the feelings of others. By reflecting rather than reacting to feelings, pupils anger and aggression is reduced.

24 Mindfulness Allows you to focus better on education tasks. When pupils are distracted with thinking about things that have happened or might happen in the future related to family issues or relationships it is difficult for them to focus on their learning. In order to engage in their learning process they need to be present to what is happening now.

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26 BENEFITS Whole person health, including the mind, the brain, the body and behaviour as well as one s relationships with others Recommended by NICE as a preventative practice for people who experience recurrent depression. Can and should be used in everyday life, anywhere and doesn t have to take a lot of effort or time.

27 BENEFITS Empowers people to know that they can control their reactions and feelings in any situation without others being aware of it. You can practise mindfulness in a minute!

28 Can be seen as touchy feely and airy fairy really!

29 How can breathing slowly and thinking happy thoughts help?

30 Simple Mindful Activities Breathing Body Scan Mindful Walking Mindful Eating Mindful Listening Mindful Meditation

31 Moody Cow Meditates It all started one stupid, rotten day when everything went wrong... Peter the cow is having a BAD day. After missing the bus and wiping out on his bike he loses his temper and gets in trouble. To make matters worse all the other kids are teasing him, calling him Moody Cow. Peter's day just seems to get worse until

32 What Does It Mean To Be Present? Pupils learn that being present in the moment is about listening to yourself and others, focusing on the now, being grateful, and learning from mistakes. It is also about slowing down to focus on the beauty that surrounds us each and every day.

33 Mindful Monkey Happy Panda While Monkey is always doing one activity while thinking of another, Panda focuses on the activity he is doing in that moment. Panda explains to Monkey that his problem is that his monkey mind is jumping around too much. In contrast, Panda is mindful, which he explains means his mind is full of the moment. Panda helps Monkey recognize the simple joy of doing what you're doing while you're doing it.

34 Purpose of Mindfulness To give children the skills to develop their awareness of their inner and outer experiences To recognise their thoughts as just thoughts To understand how emotions manifest in their bodies To recognise when their attention has wandered To provide tools for impulse control

35 Mindful Activities Notice 5 things that you hadn t noticed before

36 Mindful Activities

37 Mindful Activities Focus on paying attention to what they can hear: Using a chime bar or a singing bowl, tell the children that you will make a sound and they should listen carefully until they can no longer hear the sound (usually 30 seconds). Ask the children to listen and count all the different sounds they can hear in a minute. Close eyes or fix to a point. Notice sounds inside and outside of the room be aware of them.

38 Mindful Activities Hold non writing hand in the air with fingers spread wide and with index finger of writing hand trace along each finger breathing in when going up and exhale when going down. Make a Mind Jar - A mind jar is like a snow globe shake it up and watch the storm! If we sit and breathe and simply watch the disturbance it settles as do our minds.

39 Mindful Activities Each therapeutic session begins with a mindful activity For Foundation and Keystage 1 sometimes a Porridge, Fizzy Pop, Breathing or Mindful Walking activity

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41 Stop Breathe Think

42 Self Reflection Access Apps such as Stop, Breathe, Think, which is available on all the school ipads and laptops

43 Apps to Access The Stop, Breathe & Think app is a free mindfulness, meditation and compassion-building lifestyle tool that is simple, fun and easy to use. Take a break from the stress and anxiety of daily life to relax with meditations for the body and mind. Self healing begins with a quick check-in. Tune in to how you are thinking and feeling. Guided meditations Smiling Mind is modern meditation. Provides children and adults with the mindfulness tools needed to develop a healthy mind Headspace is a digital service that provides guided meditation sessions and mindfulness training. Its content can be accessed online, or via their mobile apps Cove was developed with young people in mind, but adults may find it equally useful to express and capture a mood or emotion. It primarily uses music instead of words to express a feeling or mood, and so may be helpful in conjunction with talking therapies and counselling. Cove is not a substitute for professional therapy

44 Resources Online resources, simple everyday activities and games, more specialist wellbeing toolkits, including suicide, self-harm and trauma, lego kits, puppets, home made activities, Time to Talk, All About Me etc as well as mindful meditations, relaxation techniques, peer massage, EFT, SFBT. School bells only heard at start and end of the school day all other transitions times are signified by music played through the school public address system. 15 minutes of calming music is played from12:45 till 1:00pm when peer massage takes place

45 March 2016 TES published article Ditch the bell to improve children s mental health, experts say Experts called for the bell to be consigned to history over fears that it can provoke anxiety and sensory overload in pupils especially those with autism

46 Cosmic Kids Yoga and Go Noodle

47 Cosmic Kids Reflection Walking Through The Jungle - Monkey Walking Through The Jungle - Elephant

48 Relaxation Techniques Stories and Props:- The Boy and The Bear Any guided relaxation scripts

49 Relaxation Techniques Strategies for relaxation and breathing using stories - Boy and the Bear I can feel the air fill my body and I feel still

50 Massage in Schools Programme Peer Massage

51 Staff Wellbeing Meditation room separate from staff room with comfy seating, cushions, blackout room, sensory lighting and access to Mindfulness apps. 3 x whole school staff meetings per year led by a wellbeing practitioner providing strategies to reduce stress and anxiety as well as guided relaxation and mindfulness meditations Along with other initiatives and support addressing staff wellbeing

52 Staff Reflection Mindfulness, to me is a way of keeping my mind focussed when all around me seems to be travelling at the speed of light, the ability to step out of my body and remain calm. The beauty of practising mindfulness techniques is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. Since I have been given the tools to practise I never feel like I am struggling from stress or pressure and I feel what ever my mind believes I can achieve

53 Staff Reflection Mindfulness allows me to escape the chaos of everyday life. Focussing my attention on what is happening now and not regretting the past or worrying about the future. I used to say I haven t got time to sit and meditate but 5 minutes at break or waiting for my favourite TV programme to start is all it takes

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55 School should be To the unfortunate what home is to the most fortunate: Safe, stable, secure, calming and nurturing