Curriculum update—Mindfulness

As part of Health and Well-Being Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE) design, both pupils and staff felt it was important to introduce the concept and skills of mindfulness into our school curriculum. In order to do this in an effective way we enlisted the help of Paws b. Paws b is a leading mindfulness curriculum for children aged 7 -11 in schools and was initially developed in collaboration with experienced primary school teachers at Pen y Bryn school and senior mindfulness researchers at Bangor University in Wales.  

Learning from all of the sessions is in connection to other aspects of the school curriculum where and when appropriate, such as music, sport, art, drama, queuing to come into the classroom, assemblies, to name just a few possibilities. Feedback from pupils has been excellent and staff are noticing children using the mindfulness techniques of their own accord throughout the school day and at home.  The video above gives you a sense of how children are using it in school and at home.

What are the benefits for our pupils?

Wellbeing and Mental Health - As well as helping them to recognise worry, manage difficulties and cope with emotions, developing a more mindful awareness also helps children and young people to appreciate what is going well and to flourish.

Concentration and Cognition - Mindfulness trains us to understand and direct our attention with greater awareness and skill. This may improve the capacity of children to concentrate and be less distracted, as well as their working memory and ability to plan.

Social and Emotional Learning - Mindfulness is often taught in the context of PSHE. It helps to develop a greater awareness of relationships and how to manage them, as well as offering a richer understanding of things like self-esteem and optimism.

Behaviour - Mindfulness may help pupils to self-regulate more effectively, manage impulsivity and reduce conflict and oppositional behaviour.