Pupil Wellbeing / Sensory
Wellbeing is at the heart of our school’s ethos and underpins the effectiveness of the curriculum at North Ridge Community School.
Pupil’s wellbeing is paramount and essential to ensure pupils learn and progress within all areas of learning.
Curriculum intent
- To ensure all pupils are in their own ‘just right’ state and ready to learn.
- To be able to find strategies to recognise and support their own wellbeing
- To enable all pupils to be resilient and to support positive mental health and wellbeing.
- Providing and embedding a consistent whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing.
- A whole-school approach to teaching wellbeing is part of the LIFE curriculum, linked closely with SMSC, Citizenship, History and R.E)
How we do this.
The Wellbeing aspect of the curriculum is made up of three Transferable Skills:
- Developing a sense of self.
- Managing my own behaviour.
- Understanding emotions.
- Depending on the topic, pupils may be taught cross curricular or it may be isolated lessons.
- The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to give them the tools and information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing.
- Effective teaching will reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues.
- High expectations of the pupils and so opportunities to extend learning is planned for and provided.
School Events
At North Ridge, we ensure our pupils are exposed to and experience an inclusive range of Awareness days and events such as Children’s Mental Health Week, Anti- Bully Week, World book day. Taking part within these focus themes weeks provides our pupils to become part of the school community and the wider community and a non-uniform day always provide Northridge with a buzzing atmosphere.
We have a REACH assembly at the end of the week to share our pupil’s fantastic achievements and awards based on our rewards.
We use a house rewards system based around our REACH values. We have four different houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin (The names of the houses were decided by our pupil parliament). Pupils receive points for showing our REACH values. Each week the winning house takes part in an exciting activity such as: using the climbing wall, watching a film of their choice or having a disco in the hall.
Useful links
Wellbeing apps for kids | Internet Matters
Improving children’s and young peoples mental health – Place2Be
Young People's Wellbeing & Mental Health | The Children's Society (childrenssociety.org.uk)
Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace
Mindfulness for Kids - Mindful
Supporting communication by using PECS | dpvo (doncasterparentsvoice.co.uk)
