The health and wellbeing of the children at Wisbech Grammar School is of paramount importance. Throughout the year, we strive to provide the children with a happy place to learn, but also look to ways that we can develop the children into life-long happy and healthy men and women. We use PSHCE to help the children build on these life skills and their awareness of mental health, relationships, resilience and physical wellbeing.
To complement the fantastic work already being done around the school, Prep School hosted a Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness Day for children on Friday 17 January.
The whole of the Prep School, from Kindergarten to Prep 6, went off timetable for the day and took part in a range of activities that helped them think and learn about different ways to keep themselves healthy both physically and mentally.
The activities that were chosen by the staff allowed all the children to participate at the level appropriate to their age. They took part in laughing sessions, colouring, welly walks, meditating or had the opportunity to just sit down, have a chat and a cup of squash. The children were organised into 16 vertical groups with children from Reception to Prep 6 for that day. The children are used to this format as they group vertically for House competitions. Lunch was also a success as staff noticed how the older pupils interacted with the younger ones and could really see the benefits of this.
Lara a Prep 6 pupil found the meditation very relaxing and calming. Rudy a Prep 3 pupil enjoyed the fact that he could talk and spend time with children in other year groups. Finlay Prep 5, enjoyed making the glitter bottles and said “the glitter in the bottles represents my feelings, and when the bottle is shaken they are all jumbled up, and when they settle it made me feel settled”.
A big thank you has to go to Mrs Fairbrother (Assistant Deputy Head Pastoral, Prep School) who organised the day, as she wanted to ensure pupils took some time out to focus on improving mental health and wellbeing. Another big thank you must go to BookLife in King’s Lynn who donated a range of books for children to enjoy reading.
