At Maun Infant and Nursery School we know the importance of looking after everyone’s wellbeing. Some of the ways we do this are through our:

• Learning Pit analogy and displays which help children to understand the process of learning
• Characters for Learning which explain the characteristics needed to become a successful learner and in turn, help to develop a growth mindset
• Daily Skip
• Take 5 breathing program
• School Values
• School Rules
• PHSRE lessons

Our definition of wellbeing is, ‘feeling good and doing well’. 

We also dedicate Wednesday afternoons to looking at our wellbeing and as part of ‘Wellness Wednesday’, we want children to understand that,

• their wellbeing is important.
• their wellbeing does not remain the same and will change at different times and for different reasons.
• there are simple and effective ways to boost your wellbeing.
• you can boost your wellbeing even when you are happy.
• looking after your wellbeing is a lifelong process.

We use the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ framework which has been developed by the New Economics Foundation. It has a set of five evidence-based actions to promote wellbeing. These are,

1. Learn- learning new things.
2. Notice- taking notice of the world around us.
3. Connect- connecting with others.
4. Be active- taking part in physical activity.
5. Give- looking outwards as well as inwards.

In the short term we want children to partake in a range of activities underpinned by these actions, so they…

• feel happy, secure and have a positive childhood
• will be better able to deal with stressful situations regardless of the trigger(s)
• have strategies to overcome the effects of stress or worry, both mentally and physically
• will develop greater empathy and communication skills
• can be the very best learners possible, as a result of being able to use the cerebral cortex of their brains rather than the limbic region.

In the long term our aims are to prepare our children for a successful and positive adulthood, equipped with life-long strategies for looking after their mental and physical wellbeing. We want our children to have the skills to help themselves and others during difficult times. Most importantly we want them to understand that prevention is better than cure, and for them to have developed good habits based on the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’, within their everyday lives.