MiSP ran workshops entitled ‘Changing the weather in the staffroom and the classroom’ at the 5th annual conference hosted by Emotionally Friendly Schools (EFS) attended by 140 delegates in Greater Manchester this week.There was a great deal of interest in our whole-school approach to improving children’s mental health and wellbeing …
Supported by Salford Educational Psychology Service, EFS promote MiSP curricula .b and Paws b as part of their accreditation scheme which provides a framework for a school’s development in emotional health and well-being. Our colleague Ben Chalwin hosted three well-attended workshops at their annual conference this week to explain how the introduction of mindfulness into a school can help change the weather in the staffroom and the classroom, providing significant benefits for both teachers and young people.
The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Emotionally Friendly Classrooms’, which very much complements the MiSP approach. Our mindfulness programmes enable individuals to flourish, as opposed to just get by. Mindfulness practice also anchors individuals, enabling them to feel safe and better able to choose how to respond to any situation. In a school setting, this can support the whole school by:
- Reducing anxiety, depression and stress
- Improving emotional stability, making it easier to manage difficult emotions
- Improving sleep
- Improving concentration
- Improving learning and memory
This supports relationships and behaviours throughout the school.
Ben really enjoyed presenting at this conference:
As usual, I was struck by the commitment of educators to improving the wellbeing of their colleagues and their pupils. Schools these days recognise the mental health challenges facing their staff and students, and it is so uplifting to hear about the work of schools who have implemented an emotionally friendly approach and are rewarded with a really positive change in school culture. It was a pleasure to work with the delegates during MiSP’s workshops and to see such interest in the many potential benefits and uses of mindfulness – both for pupils, but also for the staff themselves.
If you would like to learn more about bringing mindfulness to your school visit our information pages or email enquiries@mindfulnessinschools.org if you would like specific guidance.