Pupils at a Southport primary school have added a new daily lesson to their curriculum – Mindfulness.
Children at Our Lady of Lourdes, on Grantham Road in Birkdale, are learning how to take care of their mental health with short daily lessons including: Mindful Mondays, Tranquil Tuesdays, Warrior Wednesdays, Thankful Thursdays and Friendly Fridays.
The programme has been rolled out to the whole school after it was successfully piloted by Year Six students.
The lessons which include a series of practices and challenges have been designed by Jane Gallagher who has been teaching yoga in the school since 2015.
“Following the closure of the schools earlier this year I noticed that many children returning to school were feeling a little bewildered and unsettled,” said Jane.
“They had missed out on essential schooling but also the opportunity to be together and enjoy the activities they valued. During my yoga sessions I tell my students that while they can’t control what happens, they can control how they respond using mindfulness techniques and it seemed that so many students needed these skills now. While it was not possible to reach all of the students, every day, in person, I decided to create small bite-size lessons that could be done by all students in the school using my very basic YouTube skills that I had to learn during lockdown.”
The initial six-week programme is delivered through daily videos which invite students to try new mindful practices designed to support their learning and enhance their mental health.
Our Lady of Lourdes primary school Headteacher Catherine McDermott said: “At OLOL, positive mental health is an important part of our day to day life. Now, more than ever, children need to feel a sense of calm and stability; this course has given them this in short segments which have been easily implemented into our timetable!”
Assistant Headteacher and Mental Health Lead, Sam Gallagher, said: “The benefits of learning mindfulness in schools are well documented and include reducing stress, helping students manage their emotions, building resilience and greater self-regulation. These are important lifelong skills which will support our students in their lifelong learning.”
The children in Year 6 thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the pilot scheme. One boy said: “It is fun having different activities for each day – it makes me feel relaxed and ready for my next lesson after being on the playground!”
For more information about the course please contact Jane at formbyyoga@gmail.com.
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