Wellbeing

At Moreton we are aware of the importance of emotional wellbeing for all our pupils and staff.  Furthermore, nurturing the health and wellbeing of pupils is part of our embedded approach to realise our vision for all in our community to grow from small seeds to flourishing humans.  It is part of our culture and ethos which links with other aspects of health education, spiritual development and our wider school curriculum.  The current financial strain many may be facing can result in a stressful time for families. With this in mind we have gathered some useful links and tips to help you maintain good mental health.

Setting a routine

One of the hardest things when we are at home whether through remote learning or during school holidays, is that days can seem to drag by. By setting a good routine it gives a structure to the day. Get up at the same time every day and set certain tasks at certain times. A good start is with a Fitness session at 9am. Build in breaks and rewards. Whilst it may seem an easy option to allow children to go on their devices, it means that they lose that structure and will get bored easily. Having a structure will also help you to have a sense of control over your life during unstructured times.

Staying Healthy

Staying fit and healthy is vital. 

Try to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and drink lots of water.  Why not try some different recipes – this pizza  is one of my favourites:

or try some of these recipes on the BBC Good Food guide – How to get kids cooking

Emotional Wellbeing

Looking after our emotional wellbeing during scary times can be tricky. Nobody can be prepared for how difficult it is going to be. Have a look at some of these websites to help you cope during this time:

• Childline Activities
• Place2Be info 
• Newsround
• Self help guide
• Young minds survival guide
• BBC Information & Support – Mental Health
• Talking mental health (Animation & Teacher toolkit)
• West Essex CCG – Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Action for Happiness – Action Calendar
• Emotional Wellbeing support for Parents
• Every Mind Matters
• 10 Top Tips

At school we use mindfulness techniques to help.  Why not try some of these as a family:

ESafety

On-line safety is vital for good mental health and wellbeing. Here are some top tips for keeping your children safe on-line:
Learn how to check up on your child
Privacy covers things like going to the bathroom, not ignoring all of their tech communication
Limit access to mobile phones and tablet devices e.g. not in your bedroom or not after 8pm
There are Apps available that allow you to limit access to certain times e.g. OurPact, Screen Time Parental Control
Keep a note of your child’s password to social media account so that you can monitor activity
Be curious, know where they are going and where they been online. Advise children not to respond to abusive or obscene postings whether this is online, text messages or video messages. You can report incidents of abusive emails and inappropriate sites to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your mobile service provider should have a number that you can ring to report abusive messaging. Try their websites for details.
Ask your children to teach you how to use what they are using.
To help and support you please view the websites below. they are full of useful information that you as parents can use to support you when working with your child to use the internet safely and securely.

• Health For Kids
• Parents & Carers
• Keep Children Safe Online
• Social Media, Games and Apps
• Online Abuse – CEOP Police
• Thinkuknow – Online Safety Education Programme
• National Online Safety

Behaviour

All children will push the boundaries and it is important that you support the wellbeing of your children by giving them clear boundaries to keep them safe. These websites offer support for parents to manage behaviour:

• How Should I Respond To Challenging Behaviour – Parent-Talk (part of Action for Children) offer non-judgmental free advice and emotional support, there is a 1-1 online chat service and they have parenting coaches who can offer down-to-earth support.
• Family Lives Parent Line – The Family Lives parent line is open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm at weekends.
• Keep Children Safe Online – There is also the NSPCC who offer advice and support for parents. There helpline number is: 0808 800 5000 – Monday to Friday from 9am till 6pm and 9am till 5pm at weekends. You can also email them from their website.

Webinars

Let’s Talk Recovery to Thrive: Sustaining and Maintaining Resilience

Webinars

Supporting your family’s emotional wellbeing and mental health – Part 1: Looking after yourself

Supporting your family’s emotional wellbeing and mental health – Part 2: Looking after your family

Last year and the start of 2021 has been extra stressful and, understandably emotions may be heightened at home. It is normal to feel frustrated, worried or angry about the situation, but it can be hard to know how to communicate in these very emotional or angry moments. Use this poster to help start a conversation to talk about each other’s feelings.