As many schools are beginning to welcome more children back, we have been thinking about how best to support those who may be experiencing trauma. Read our guide on trauma informed practice with six principles that we encourage you to consider for when your pupils return to school.
Inspired by the brilliant “Resilience Alphabet” (developed by Martha Simpson and Philip Wong) which is being circulated by Education Scotland, this article provides an A to Z of principles and values which I feel are integral to a nurturing school environment.
Nurture has been defined as a strive to encourage, cultivate and nourish. While I long for the day when a nurture provision is standard in every school, we can apply the principles of nurture to any setting at a whole-class and whole-school level. This A to Z will not cover every aspect of nurture, but I hope it can provide a starting point for a way of “being with” children and young people whose well-being and mental health are or have been at risk. Supporting and safeguarding their social and emotional development will be even more important as we help them return to school during the current coronavirus pandemic.
A social story about returning to school and being in a new 'bubble' - click to open link (June 20)
Physical, Social and Arty Outdoor No Contact Games and Activities Ideas for Primary schools
Here are 50 ideas for physical, social and arty outdoor games and activities. They are divided into Physical, Social, and Arty sections to reflect their main theme, although they might cover two or three of the areas. - Click here
(June 20)
Spearheaded by The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, Hold Still, a portrait of our nation in 2020, is an ambitious community project to create a unique photographic portrait which captures the spirit, mood, hopes, fears and feelings of the nation as we continue to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak.
Schools are invited to take part in Hold Still. Teachers can submit their students' entries via the Schools Entry Form - Click here (June 20)
National Literacy Trust - Write a poem for key workers
National Literacy Trust is an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life. Watch the video with poet Laura Mucha and use the worksheets to write a poem saying thank you to key workers. You will need the worksheet, paper and a pencil. Click here to visit their website. 17/06/20
This is a two-week calendar with daily mindfulness activity suggestions. You can run these activities whenever you like, for example at the start of lessons, or after playtime, to help ground and relax the children.
The activities within the calendar will take approximately five minutes and can be done at home or in school. You can display this poster in your classroom or staff room, and use the accompanying guidance for instructions on how to deliver the activities.
RESTORE - Circle time sessions to support primary and secondary pupils during COVID-19
At the beginning of lockdown due to COVID-19, a group of organisations in the UK, passionate about peace and Restorative Practice, came together to think about how they could support schools during this time. The group produced a framework, RESTORE, as their contribution. RESTORE offers questions, methodologies and thinkpieces for school communities as they seek to re-build relationships between staff, pupils and parents and consider the social and emotional impacts this collective experience is having. The framework is structured around the letters of RESTORE.
Peacemakers is an educational charity working with adults and children, mostly in school settings, in the West Midlands. We are one of the organisations involved with RESTORE. We have over 30 years experience of running circles that support children's social and emotional wellbeing.
(May 2020)
