Co-op Wholesale ‘Making a Difference Locally’ Fund

REMINDER: MiSP’s training involves 2 parts: .begin an 8-week introductory course in mindfulness and developing a personal practice (sessions are 1.5 hours per week), followed by a Train to Teach/ introduce mindfulness to children course (4 full days).  There is a requirement to complete both courses.

When you apply for your .begin course you can apply for a Train to Teach course at the same time. The Train to Teach course you select must start after your .begin course has finished e.g. If your .begin course ends in November you can apply for a Train to Teach course that starts in January.

STEP 1: 8-week introductory course .begin

To attend a live, online course via Zoom, please do apply* for one of upcoming courses after agreeing the dates with your school:

2024/2025 Courses

begin

Evening Course .begin Tue 16th Sep 2025 – 25 Nov 2025 7.30pm – 9pm

Daytime Course .begin Wed 17th Sep 2025 – 26 Nov 2025 9.15am-10.45am  

Evening Course .begin Wed 17th Sep 2025 – 26 Nov 2025 7.30pm – 9pm

STEP 2: a 4 full-day course to teach one of our introductory age-specific curricula for children Train to Teach 

Teach dots (3-6 year olds)

8-week Daytime Course Wed 21st Jan – 18th Mar 2026 8.30am – 10.30am

8-week Evening Course Wed 21st Jan – 18th Mar 2026 7pm – 9pm

4 day Course Tue 27 – Fri 30 Jan 2026 9.30am – 3pm

Teach Paws b (7-11 year olds)

8-week Daytime Course Thu 22nd Jan – 19th Mar 2026 8.30am – 10.30am

8-week Evening Course Thu 22nd Jan – 19th Mar 2026 7pm – 9pm 

4 day Course Tue 10th – Fri 13th Feb 2025 9.30am-3pm

Teach .b (11-18 year olds)

8-week Daytime Course Tue 20th Jan – 17th Mar 2026 8.30am – 10.30am

8-week Evening Course Tue 20th Jan – 17th Mar 2026  7pm – 9pm 

4 day Course Tue 10th Mar – Fri 13 Mar 2026 9.30am- 3pm

*IMPORTANT When applying, please choose the funding option “MiSP Supported Place” and enter the code “MADL”. The form will ask for details of who is paying for the place but it will be funded by the Co-op Wholesale “Making a Difference Locally” charity. Please enter the following in the fields so you can submit the form:

If you have any questions about the courses or need any help applying, please do get in touch with MiSP direct through support@mindfulnessinschools.org.

PLEASE NOTE If your school hasn’t yet been nominated but you would like to take part, contact Nisa’s ‘Making a Difference Locally’: makingadifference@nisaretail.com. The central team will contact your local Nisa store to ask them to make an application on behalf of your school.

The project has been generously funded by the Co-op Wholesale ‘Making a Difference Locally’ Charity. The idea for the fund came about following the tragic death of of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in Warrington in February 2023. Nisa retailers Dhillion Kuldeep and Mike Sohal were deeply affected by Brianna’s death and wanted to do something to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

The fund will be used to provide Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) mindfulness training to teachers in schools nominated by Nisa retailers for the benefit of school staff and the children and young people they work with. The fund is for schools/education staff wherever they are in the country.
Nisa stores can nominate one local school to receive MiSP mindfulness training.

This project will train up to 2 staff members in each nominated school (whilst funding lasts) so that they will:

• have an introduction to mindfulness for the purpose of supporting them in their own understanding of mindfulness and general wellbeing
• develop their own mindfulness practice for the long term
• be able to deliver a formal, age-specific mindfulness curriculum within their school
• support the embedding of a well-designed and sustainable mindfulness initiative, as part of an approach to the wellbeing of pupils and staff.

There are two stages in the training, .begin an introductory course for you followed by a Train to Teach course of your choice to equip you to teach an age-specific curriculum to the children in your setting.

All our training is live. The 8-week introductory course .begin is available online, so you can take part from the comfort of home.

.begin is an introduction to mindfulness designed to support participants’ understanding of mindfulness and their general wellbeing. It is delivered via Zoom over eight weeks via group sessions of approximately 90 minutes per week. If you have already completed an approved 8-week mindfulness course and embedded your practice for at least two months, you can progress straight to a train to teach course.

Read feedback from previous .begin participants here.

The Train to Teach courses can be done online in 4 consecutives days, 2 days a week split across two consecutive weeks or over 8-weeks as weekly 2hr evening sessions.

Teach dots trains participants to teach our dots curriculum to 3 to 6 year olds within their school. More information can be found at Teach dots (3-6).

Teach Paws b trains participants to teach our Paws b curriculum to 7 to 11 year olds within their school. More information can be found at Teach Paws b (7 – 11).

Teach .b trains participants to teach our .b curriculum to 11 to 18 year olds within their school. . More information can be found at Teach .b (11 – 18).

Read feedback from previous course participants here.

Read feedback from children and young people here.

Online and in person courses are delivered in real time by highly experienced MiSP instructors.

To support learning and obtain the CPD certification to teach the children in your setting, participants attending the training are required to:

1. Find a quiet space where they will not be interrupted; not be in the same room/sharing a laptop with anyone else, including someone who might also be attending the course (this is to avoid audio feedback issues and potential distraction).
2. Check all technology is working to a quality that allows for full engagement with the taught course.
3. Keep cameras switched on, unless advised otherwise during the course (e.g. during lunch breaks).
4. Use a PC/laptop/Mac with reasonable broadband and a webcam. Joining the course using a mobile device or tablet is not permitted as these may have limited functionality when using Zoom.
5. Participate as if the training was happening with everyone in the same room. This means stepping away from distractions (technology, work commitments etc.), and being fully committed to engaging in all taught sessions and activities.
6. Explain to any work colleagues / family or other household members (depending on the location of your quiet place) that you are not available at this time. It is helpful for SLT to support this. Putting a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door of the room you are in can make a difference!

IMPORTANT: Please note that in the event a school books a funded place but does not take this up, they are liable for the costs of that training (£815).  It is important the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are fully on board.

IMPORTANT If your school hasn’t yet been nominated but you would like to take part, contact Co-op Wholesale’s ‘Making a Difference Locally’: makingadifference@nisaretail.com. The central team will contact your local Nisa store to ask them to make an application on behalf of your school.

We work with everyone working in education, teaching staff, support staff and Senior Leadership Teams. Any school staff member is eligible to attend this training provided they have the approval of their SLT and are committing to both phases of training: .begin, followed by an age-specific Train to Teach  course for the children they will be teaching.

No previous experience of mindfulness is required, but it is important that participants are willing to engage in mindfulness practices both during the training and beyond.

Any nominated primary and secondary setting in the UK can apply for up to 2 members of staff.

Each individual staff member can simply click on the links to the training under Apply for an Upcoming Course above. Given the invitational, voluntary nature of this training, individuals must apply directly themselves and cannot be signed up by colleagues.

This course is being funded by the Co-op Wholesale ‘Making a Difference Locally’ Charity. Neither you nor your school will be invoiced for your place.