Our Wellbeing Journey Challenges
Wellbeing is not only one of our core values, it is something that we value highly and focus on through our taught curriculum and wider curriculum.
As Princess Diana said, “Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.”
Children’s mental health and wellbeing is a national area for focus and support due to the increasing numbers of children and young adults struggling with their mental health. Whilst our children are young and may not be experiencing the same issues as some older children, we must teach our children to be healthy, happy and safe and provide strong foundations for their wellbeing.
NSPCC states:
Mental health is as important to a child's safety and wellbeing as their physical health. It can impact on all aspects of their life, including their educational attainment, relationships and physical wellbeing. Mental health can also change over time, to varying degrees of seriousness, and for different reasons.
With that in mind, our Mental Health & Wellbeing team are launching challenges for children, families and staff to be involved in.
The NHS, Children in Need, MIND and other key bodies have signposted adults and children to ‘5 pillars for wellbeing’ but we have added a sixth, care. This extra pillar is a recognised pillar by some bodies and it does overlap some of the five above but ‘care’ is important to us as a standalone pillar and links to our values.
The pillars are:
- Connect with other people
- Give to others
- Care for ourselves, each other and our environment
- Pay attention to the present moment – Notice
- Be physically active
- Learn new skills
In assemblies, through our school trips and experiences, wider curriculum opportunities, assemblies and through lessons, we talk about these pillars and how they help us all stay positive and healthy.
To help the children to understand the 6 pillars and actively engage in them, we are launching our new Wellbeing Journey through FPPF. Every short term (6 short terms to match the 6 pillars), children can choose to take part in an activity and record this on their Wellbeing Challenge Card. Each year group will have their own Wellbeing Challenge Card and the colour of the Wellbeing Challenge Card links to the colours of the rainbow; Reception will have a red Wellbeing Challenge Card, through to year 6 with a violet themed Wellbeing Challenge Card.
Our FPPF Wellbeing Warriors (elected and trained year 5 pupils) will be running the challenges and they will go to each class, during the last week of every short term, to talk to the class and record those children that have completed the challenge for the term. Children will gain House Points for each challenge and, if they complete all 6 of the challenges through the year, they will be awarded a certificate in assembly and a coloured pin badge of their year group colour of the rainbow. Please can all Wellbeing Record Cards be returned to the class teacher by the end of the penultimate week of the short term, in order for the challenge to be recorded as completed.
Our Wellbeing Rainbow Challenges:
Firstly, the challenges are only suggestions and families can create their own as long as it in focused on the relevant pillar; we would love families to get involved in this and talk together to plan and take part in each challenge. The challenges can be completed as a family or your child can do a challenge themselves.
Here is a link to our webpage with some suggested challenges. This list might grow through the year as and when we come up with new ideas or you share some of your own challenges with us.
https://www.furzeplattjuniorschool.co.uk/well-being-at-fppf/
Please remember, the aim is to encourage our children to take part in wellbeing challenges. We don’t want this to be a chore or seen as a homework in anyway. Even if they complete one challenge over the year, that would be amazing.
Please help us to get all of our children active and engaged in promoting and strengthening their positive wellbeing!
More details can be found on the links below;
MIND: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/five-ways-to-wellbeing/
BBC Children in Need: https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/schools/primary-school/five-to-thrive-hub/






