Wellbeing
At St Antony’s School we want the best for our children and mental health and well-being is a top priority.
Ms Ali runs a regular Wellbeing after-school club
Here at St Antony’s RC School we believe that creating well-balanced, happy, healthy children who can learn to manage their emotions is equally as important as getting good grades.
When attending the Wellbeing Club children complete a range of activities to promote wellbeing, resilience and most importantly-what makes them happy!
The children learn about different feelings and emotions, and how to deal with these in a safe way. Through sensory play, mindfulness and breathing exercises.
At St Antony’s School we want the best for our children and mental health and well-being is a top priority.
Mrs Linley is our trained ELSA
Mrs Linley is a level 3 Teaching Assistant. She is also qualified with Level 2 in Autism and ADHD. She is a fully trained and registered ELSA at St. Antony's RC Primary School.
‘What is ELSA?’
ELSA stands for Emotional, Literacy Support Assistant.
Mrs Linley has trained to work with children who have shown a wide range of emotional or social difficulties. For example, anxiety, low self-esteem, problems with anger etc. She works closely with teachers to set clear objectives for the individual child. She will then work on these objectives with the child in a weekly 1:1 session over a 6-week period. Sessions may be increased if further support is required.
ELSA Sessions are tailored and planned to meet the needs of the child. They’re fun and creative, to engage and motivate the children. Mrs Linley uses a range of activities throughout the sessions like, games, emotion stones, stories, cake decorating, crafts, listening and talking. Some of the crafts made are a great way to model social situations and help children to open up about how they’re feeling in different circumstances.
Some of the issues covered in the sessions may be - relationships, recognising emotions, social skills, friendship issues, self esteem, understanding anger, loss and bereavement, anxiety, coping strategies, building resilience, bullying issues. Children’s progress is monitored closely throughout the program. If the child, parents/carer feel further support is required, the school has access to a range of external support services.
ELSA’s receive ongoing training and support from Educational Psychologists.
Please see the links below for advice and support.
Below are some resources to help if you are feeling anxious. You can always Dojo your teacher, Ms Ali or Mrs McGowan anytime.
IDL Wellbeing
We also offer a new Wellbeing programme named 'IDL' (Interdisciplinary Learning)
IDL Wellbeing is an exciting product designed to integrate with a whole-school approach to mental health, toughness and behaviour management. Following 2 years of development alongside a psychologist, IDL Wellbeing has been developed using contemporary theories and mindfulness practices. Studies have proven that teaching resilience and emotional literacy can reduce incidents of poor mental health later. IDL Wellbeing adopts an integrated approach to support children and to understand and address unwelcome emotions as well as encourage positive ones.
If you feel your child will benefit from the IDL wellbeing programme, please contact Mrs Linley and she will assist in registering your child.
Mini Minds Matter
We have partnered up with Mini Minds Matter here at St Antonys RC Primary School.
Mini Minds Matter UK is a Dinosaur themed approach that supports the mental health and well-being of children. It incorporates mindfulness, affirmations, meditations and encourages a growth mindset.
We aim to equip children with the right tools to support emotional well-being, through changing and rewiring the brain as early as possible to impact long term development.
