Raising Attainment Through Wellbeing at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

At Teaching Times Training, we believe that emotional wellbeing is the cornerstone of academic success. Our recent collaboration with St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School stands as a testament to this philosophy. The school faced challenges common in many educational institutions today: the need to boost emotional wellbeing for both students and teachers while simultaneously raising academic standards.

From the outset, it was clear that St Joseph’s was dedicated to making significant changes. They were eager to embrace our comprehensive “Raising Attainment through Wellbeing” program, an initiative designed to transform school culture and foster an environment where every student can thrive.

Assessing Needs and Building Core Strengths

Our journey began with a thorough needs analysis to understand the specific areas requiring attention. Recognizing the importance of emotional wellbeing, we focused on observed behaviors of children and young people. This allowed us to identify deep-rooted barriers impacting learning and development.

The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) at St Joseph’s utilized our assessment tools to pinpoint strengths and areas needing improvement across the school community. Key statements from their audit highlighted two primary goals: supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health throughout the school, and developing a comprehensive anti-bullying strategy understood by all stakeholders.

Cultivating Emotional Wellbeing

To address these goals, we provided research-based training materials and resources that enabled the SLT to take actionable steps. One significant focus was establishing a staff wellbeing team aimed at raising mental health awareness among teachers. This initiative not only improved staff morale but also created a more supportive environment for students.

Simultaneously, we introduced the concept of Wellbeing Champions among students. These champions played a pivotal role in promoting good mental health practices among their peers. Over time, they took charge of running lunchtime board games clubs, incorporating mindfulness activities, and broadening the range of games available. This initiative significantly boosted their confidence and helped create positive experiences during school hours.

Transforming School Culture

Changing the culture within an educational setting requires developmental tools that are both effective and sustainable. At St Joseph’s, we worked closely with committed pastoral staff to establish an “Anti-bullying Charter”. This charter involved defining bullying in terms understood by everyone in the school community.

The Wellbeing Champions then developed an Inspire Workshop aimed at parents, ensuring a unified understanding of what constitutes bullying. This collaborative approach empowered both students and parents, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment.

Accelerating Academic Development

Understanding behavior is crucial for creating effective strategies that accelerate cognitive development. Our program incorporated the latest neuroscience research on learning to support neurodiverse learners through practical cognitive and metacognitive practices.

We also focused on removing individual barriers to learning caused by physical or cognitive conditions using advanced Assistive Technologies. These tools have proven invaluable in helping children who might otherwise struggle due to anxiety or adverse social circumstances.

A Sustainable Impact

In under three months, our program made a noticeable difference at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School. The training materials enabled senior leaders to map out next steps for continuing their well-being journey. The allocated coach stimulated innovative thinking and provided ongoing support that became integral to their success.

Michelle A., Headteacher at St Joseph’s, expressed her satisfaction with the project’s impact: “This project has positively impacted children and staff in a very short time. The training materials have enabled senior leaders to develop an understanding of the next steps needed to continue our well-being journey.”

Why Emotional Wellbeing Matters

An anxious or distressed mind simply cannot learn effectively—a truth that underscores every aspect of our program. By helping teaching professionals create inclusive learning environments that prioritize emotional wellbeing, we build social resilience among students, thereby accelerating progress and securing better personal outcomes.

Our approach is rooted in understanding how poverty and adverse social circumstances affect cognition and behavior. By applying this knowledge practically in classrooms, we help schools like St Joseph’s create supportive spaces where every child can excel.

Children under-performing due to anxiety or stress.

Children receiving SEN Support or those with EHCPs.

Children in Care or on the edge of care.

Pupil Premium Cohort.

Neurodiverse learners below statutory SEN support thresholds.

New migrants or Travellers.

The Broader Benefits

Our program goes beyond immediate academic improvements—it aims for long-term cultural change within schools. It aligns with key inspection focus areas from Ofsted and Estyn by reducing fixed-term exclusions and fostering high-performing inclusive learning communities.

By raising levels of emotional wellbeing among both staff and students, we retain experienced professionals while equally supporting new entrants into the profession. This holistic approach ensures sustained growth within educational settings.

Available as a self-study package with options for specialist coaching sessions tailored specifically for groups of staff or individual needs assessments, our program offers flexible solutions that drive meaningful change management.

A Unique Path Forward

One unique aspect of our collaboration with St Joseph’s was developing Wellbeing Champions among students—a concept that empowered them significantly while promoting mental health awareness among peers. This innovative idea serves as an inspiring model for other schools looking to make similar changes.

At Teaching Times Training located on Pershore Street in Birmingham (phone:+44 121 224 7599), we are committed to supporting schools nationwide through tailored programs designed specifically around their unique needs—helping them unlock academic achievement by prioritizing emotional wellbeing first!

Discover more about our services on [Teaching Times Training](https://www.teachingtimestraining.com/)

Testimonial:

Raising Attainment Through Wellbeing at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School At Teaching Times Training, we believe that emotional wellbeing is the cornerstone of academic success. Our recent collaboration with St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School stands as a testament to this philosophy. The school faced challenges common in many educational institutions today: the need to boost emotional wellbeing for both students and teachers while simultaneously raising…

June 11, 2024 The Raising Attainment through Wellbeing Project is an initiative the school was keen to be involved in. As an SLT, we had been looking at ways to improve the well-being of both children and staff and this project, based on research, provided the training and resources that fulfilled this criterion. Once accepted onto the project, the SLT were able to use the assessment tool to identify areas of strength across the school and areas of development. Our key statements from the audit that we chose to work on were: • Supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health throughout the school community. • A comprehensive anti-bullying strategy that is understood and recognised by all stakeholders. Since identifying our key statements, the school has worked on ways, based on the training materials and through support from the allocated coach, to support staff’s wellbeing. One of the foci was to develop a staff wellbeing team whose aim was to raise the mental health and wellbeing profile across the school. With the children, the focus was on creating Wellbeing Champions, whose aim was to raise the profile of good mental health with their peers and to support in helping positive experiences during the school day. Over the last term, this has resulted in the Champions taking over the running of our lunchtime board games club. The Champions have grown in confidence and have further developed the club to include mindfulness activities and increased the number of games on offer. The Wellbeing Champions are moving forward with our ‘Anti-bullying Charter’. They are working with committed pastoral staff to establish St Joseph’s definition of what bullying is. Once this has been agreed upon, the Champions will then develop an Inspire Workshop to help deliver this message to parents. This will be important so the whole school community understanding what we believe bullying is. This project has positively impacted the children and staff in a very short time, and the training materials have enabled senior leaders to develop an understanding of the next steps needed to continue our well-being journey. Using the allocated coach has helped stimulate thinking and has been a welcome addition to the support package. MICHELLE ASHLEY HEADTEACHER, ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL 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.

ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL Raising attainment through well being testimonial

The Raising Attainment through Wellbeing Project is an initiative the school was keen to be involved in. As an SLT, we had been looking at ways to improve the well-being of both children and staff and this project, based on research, provided the training and resources that fulfilled this criterion. Once accepted onto the project, the SLT were able to use the assessment tool to identify areas of strength across the school and areas of development. Our key statements from the audit that we chose to work on were: • Supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health throughout the school community. • A comprehensive anti-bullying strategy that is understood and recognised by all stakeholders. Since identifying our key statements, the school has worked on ways, based on the training materials and through support from the allocated coach, to support staff’s wellbeing. One of the foci was to develop a staff wellbeing team whose aim was to raise the mental health and wellbeing profile across the school. With the children, the focus was on creating Wellbeing Champions, whose aim was to raise the profile of good mental health with their peers and to support in helping positive experiences during the school day. Over the last term, this has resulted in the Champions taking over the running of our lunchtime board games club. The Champions have grown in confidence and have further developed the club to include mindfulness activities and increased the number of games on offer. The Wellbeing Champions are moving forward with our ‘Anti-bullying Charter’. They are working with committed pastoral staff to establish St Joseph’s definition of what bullying is. Once this has been agreed upon, the Champions will then develop an Inspire Workshop to help deliver this message to parents. This will be important so the whole school community understanding what we believe bullying is. This project has positively impacted the children and staff in a very short time, and the training materials have enabled senior leaders to develop an understanding of the next steps needed to continue our well-being journey. Using the allocated coach has helped stimulate thinking and has been a welcome addition to the support package. MICHELLE ASHLEY HEADTEACHER, ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL 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.

Michelle A

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