Wellbeing Across the Curriculum and School Day
At St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, we recognise that being creative, being active and going outdoors is positive for the well-being of our pupils. We believe that positive mental health and well-being should be a central part of our day-to-day school life and a key part of our curriculum. Our teachers plan exciting, engaging and creative lessons for our children allowing them to not only progress academically but develop socially and emotionally into well-rounded individuals. More details about the curriculum in each subject can be found on the 'Curriculum' page of this website.
Daily Zones check-ins
Using Zones of Regulation, all our children have the opportunity to reflect upon how they’re feeling and discuss this with their peers and an adult.
Class worship and RE
Self-reflection, meditation and time to be with ourselves are all important parts of maintaining positive well-being. Through daily acts of class worship children take part in Christian meditation and reflective prayer. While through the lessons of Jesus, children learn the importance of kindness, giving and love for each other and God's world.
Well-Being Room
At lunch time children have the opportunity to visit the Well-Being Room where they can meet with Well-Being Ambassadors, talk to a trusted adult or simply relax away from the noise of the playground.
PE
Physical activity is so important to good mental health and well-being and our children enjoy PE lessons twice a week. Most PE sessions are led by our specialist ‘Let’s Leap’ sport coach, Sophie or Mr Bridges. Children play a variety of different sports and games including football, rugby, basketball, netball, cricket and practise various track and field events. Our Tennis coach is also in school every Monday while children in KS2 take part in an intensive swimming course in the Autumn term.
Art
Our pupils look forward to an Art lesson each week where pupils develop their art and design skills in a variety of media (including paint, pencil, pastels, printing and 3D work).
Peace Garden and the Outdoors
Our pupils have access to the Peace Garden at breaktimes and lunchtime, a place where they can relax, enjoy the plants and spend time with their friends. Our outdoor spaces are a great place to explore the natural world in a variety of ways in the mud kitchen, through digging and planting and observing plants.
Classes also make regular visits to the local Phoenix Farm.
Computing
Through the Computing curriculum, children learn to stay safe online. Older pupils learn about the harmful impact over-use of social media can have on our mental health, well-being and self-image while also learning how to identify and verify accurate sources of information.
PSHRE
Our pupils are taught a PSHRE curriculum that is tailor-made to our pupil's needs. The curriculum is based around three main themes over the year: Celebrating Differences, Healthy Me and Relationships. Pupils are explicitly taught about positive mental health and well-being within these sessions.
Zones of Regulation curriculum
The Zones of Regulation are taught alongside the PSHRE curriculum. These lessons help the children develop emotional literacy and understand how to identify and regulate their feelings. For more information on the Zones of Regulation click here
Music
Music is an important creative outlet for our children and a great way of maintaining positive mental health. Children enjoy weekly music lessons with our specialist music teacher, Mr Dalledone. Children also enjoy regular opportunities to perform pieces of music in class assemblies, singing together in hymn practices and, in Upper KS2, opportunities to join the School Choir and the School of Rock.