Transforming School Culture: Raising Attainment Through Wellbeing

At Teaching Times Training, we believe that true academic success is deeply intertwined with emotional wellbeing. Our latest project with Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School exemplifies how a comprehensive approach to mental health can transform a school community and unlock the potential of both students and staff.

Introduction: A Journey Towards Emotional Wellbeing

The core of our initiative revolved around enhancing the emotional health of everyone within the school environment. We embarked on this journey with a clear mission: to raise attainment by prioritizing wellbeing. The project was designed by five top national coaches and aimed at fostering resilience, self-awareness, and engagement among pupils while simultaneously supporting teachers.

The Principal, David S., reached out to us through a personal recommendation, expressing a strong desire to integrate mental health into the school’s ethos. In under three months, our collaborative efforts began yielding remarkable results, setting the stage for long-term benefits.

Understanding the Needs: A Comprehensive Approach

Our first step was conducting an exhaustive audit of the school’s existing practices related to staff and pupil wellbeing. This deep dive allowed us to identify key areas needing improvement. We found that re-examining relationships with “behavior” and “behavior management” could be transformative.

  • Cultural Shifts: We focused on creating a trauma-informed culture driven by relationships rather than punitive measures.

  • Classroom Environment: By reviewing classroom environments, we identified barriers affecting certain children disproportionately.

  • Poverty and Adversity: Training staff on understanding the cognitive and behavioral impacts of poverty helped in addressing these crucial issues.

  • Neuroscience of Learning: Applying the latest neuroscience findings enabled us to support neurodiverse learners effectively.

A Tailored Solution: Innovative Strategies for Success

Our program was not a one-size-fits-all solution but a tailored set of strategies aimed at unlocking academic achievement:

  • Assistive Technologies: Deployed advanced technologies to remove learning barriers due to physical or cognitive conditions.

  • Cohort-Focused Initiatives: Designed specific interventions for children impacted by Covid-19 disruption, anxiety, SEN support needs, care situations, vulnerabilities, pupil premium status, new migrants, Travellers, and neurodiverse learners below statutory SEN thresholds.

  • Explore more about our strategies here.

The Power of Coaching: Catalyzing Change

One standout feature of our approach was the inclusion of top-tier coaches like Marius Frank (BSc Hons PGCE NPQH FRSA) and Louise McGinty (NPQH lead facilitator). These experts provided invaluable insights and guidance:

  • Marius Frank: Focused on behavior policy and inclusion practice.

  • Louise McGinty: Conducted practice reviews specifically for pupil premium learners.

  • Expert Coaches
    The team behind our successful transformation initiative.

Their expertise ensured that every strategy implemented was grounded in proven practices and adapted precisely to meet the school’s unique needs.

The Impact: Building Resilience and Engagement

The benefits of our program were immediate and profound. The online courses provided a rich resource base for expanding knowledge across the school. Staff felt more equipped to make informed decisions, while students exhibited increased engagement and resilience.

David S., Principal at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School, observed a noticeable shift in the school’s atmosphere. He noted that wellbeing had become central to their aims and plans for future development. This shift was not only inspiring current activities but also laying a robust foundation for years to come.

Enhanced School Environment
An inclusive learning environment fostering emotional wellbeing.

Sustained Outcomes: Long-Term Benefits

Our project is designed for sustained impact. By raising levels of emotional wellbeing among both staff and students, we help retain experienced professionals while supporting newcomers equally. The focus on creating an inclusive environment ensures that achievements are not fleeting but embedded into the school’s culture.

Several key outcomes underscore this success:

  • Reduced Exclusions: The trauma-informed approach has significantly reduced fixed-term and permanent exclusions.

  • High Performance: Creating high-performing inclusive learning communities has become achievable through our methodologies.

A Beacon of Inspiration: Testimonials from Our Lady of Fatima

The heartfelt testimonial from David S. encapsulates the transformative power of our program:

“The Raising Attainment through Wellbeing Project has already proven to be a fantastic catalyst across the school community. It reminds staff, parents, community members, and children that thriving requires good mental health.” – David S., Principal

His words reflect not only current successes but also an inspiring vision for future growth anchored in emotional wellbeing.

Principal's Testimonial
A heartfelt testimonial from Principal David S.

The Path Forward: A Model for Other Schools

Our work with Our Lady of Fatima serves as a model that other schools can emulate. By integrating mental health into their core ethos, schools can create environments where every child has an opportunity to flourish academically and emotionally.

Teaching Times Training remains committed to providing resources that support this goal:

By continuing to innovate and adapt based on feedback from schools like Our Lady of Fatima, we are confident in our ability to drive meaningful change across educational communities.

The Final Word: Emotional Wellbeing as a Cornerstone

In conclusion, raising attainment through emotional wellbeing is not just an initiative; it is an essential paradigm shift in education. At Teaching Times Training, we are proud to have been part of this journey with Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School. Their story stands as testament to what is possible when emotional health is prioritized.

Our comprehensive approach—encompassing cultural shifts, innovative strategies, expert coaching, and sustained outcomes—has set new benchmarks in educational excellence. As we move forward, we remain dedicated to helping other schools achieve similar transformations.

Emotional wellbeing is indeed the cornerstone upon which academic success is built. Join us in this mission by exploring our programs designed to nurture resilient learners ready to excel in every aspect of life.

For more information or to get started on your own transformative journey:

Together , let’s make emotional wellbeing central to educational excellence .

Our Lady Of Fatima.png
Testimonial:

OUR LADY OF FATIMA Raising attainment through wellbeing testimonial

The Raising Attainment through Wellbeing Project has already proven to be a fantastic catalyst, across the school and community, to put Wellbeing at the forefront of the schools aims and plans for the coming months and years to come. It is serving as an initial base in which to build the ethos of the school from moving forward. Reminding staff, parents, the community and the children that to thrive and achieve our best we must have good mental health. The online courses are a fantastic resource base to expand our knowledge and make more informed decisions across the school. The addition of a ‘coach’ to support and develop ideas even further has been fantastic. OUR LADY OF FATIMA Wellbeing Pioneer School This is just the beginning of support the mental health of all stake holders in the school, giving it prominence and enabling all to get involved. The project is already inspiring other events, activities and learning across the school. The impact is not only for the now but also for the years to come. DAVID SIMMONS PRINCIPAL, OUR LADY OF FATIMA CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL “To put Wellbeing at the forefront of the schools aims and plans for the coming months and years to come.” Designed by five top national coaches to help schools raise attainment levels by improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of both pupils and staff The Programme offers a deep audit of the school’s approach to staff and pupil wellbeing, and coaching in changing culture and climate, behaviour policy, inclusion practice and building the core strength of pupils to nurture their resilience, self-awareness and engagement. Whole-School-award-logo-0422-final-03 Sponsored by Teaching Times logo Expert Writers and Coaches Marius Frank-BSc-Hons-PGCE-NPQH FRSA Marius Frank BSc (Hons) PGCE NPQH FRSA Louise McGinty-NPQH lead facilitator and AFA Coach-Pupil Premium-Practice Review-Coach Louise McGinty NPQH lead facilitator and AFA Coach/Pupil Premium Practice Review Coach Nic Ponsford-Co-Founder-CEO-the-Global-Equality Collective Nic Ponsford Co-Founder and CEO of the Global Equality Collective John Drew-Practitioner Trainer with Emotion Coaching UK Jon Drew Practitioner Trainer with Emotion Coaching UK Bab Basley-Anti-Bullying Quality Mark-UK- Bob Basley Anti-Bullying Quality Mark-UK About the programme This high impact programme offers a comprehensive set of complementary strategies and approaches to unlock academic achievement and accelerate progress by: Re-examining a whole school community’s relationship with “behaviour” and “behaviour management”, creating culture and practice that is trauma-informed and relationships-driven Reviewing the school culture and classroom environment to find deep level barriers that adversely affect a proportion of children Helping staff understand the cognitive and behavioural impact of poverty and adverse social circumstances Applying the latest knowledge in the neuroscience of learning to create classrooms that support neurodiverse learners through grounded cognitive and metacognitive practice Removing individual barriers to learning, caused by physical or cognitive conditions, through the advanced deployment of Assistive Technologies This programme is designed to have a positive and sustained impact on critical cohorts of children and young people that may have lost significant ground because of Covid-19 disruption, supporting improvements in culture, climate and ethos that will enable achievement to thrive: Children who are under-performing because of anxiety, stress or distress Children and Young People receiving SEN Support (as well as those with EHCPs) Children in Care or on the edge of care Children and Young People with specific vulnerabilities (self-esteem and confidence, emotional self-regulation skills, etc.) Pupil Premium Cohort New migrants or Travellers Neurodiverse learners below the threshold for statutory SEN support WHY DO WE NEED THIS? Simply put, an anxious, frightened or angry mind simply will not learn. This Programme helps teaching professionals to understand what they can do to create an inclusive learning environment that supports and nurtures children at the highest possible levels of emotional wellbeing. It builds social and emotional resilience, by meeting the needs of neurodiverse learners, thereby accelerating progress and securing better personal outcomes. Key benefits Applicability Signposting to an array of governmental departments and agencies, third-sector organisations and businesses, with materials kept up-to-date and constantly reviewed. Designed exclusively to meet the demands of Ofsted and Estyn key inspection focus areas (in particular, creating and culture and climate that will reduce the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions, and create high performing inclusive learning communities). Wellbeing Helping professionals to understand what they can do to create a learning environment that supports and nurtures the highest possible levels of emotional wellbeing, and thus progress and achievement. Raising the levels of emotional wellbeing amongst staff as well children, helping to retain experienced professionals and support new entrants to the profession in equal measure. Support It’s available as a self-study package, but with the opportunities to commission specialist coaches to deliver targeted and bespoke webinars to groups of staff, lead on-site INSET and evaluation activity, or commissioned packages of more extensive bespoke support to drive change management.

David S
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