What is PATHS? 

At Muirkirk Primary School  & ECC we have implemented a Health & Wellbeing programme called PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills)

PATHS is a programme that supports children’s social, emotional and mental wellbeing. You may hear your child use vocabulary and use strategies that help them to regulate their emotions.

 

Why PATHS? 

Paths is an effective  programme because children often show difficulties in social problem-solving, self-control, affective understanding and self-esteem. PATHS helps to improve –

1. Increased self-control, i.e., the ability to stop and think before acting when upset or confronted with a conflict situation. Lessons in this area also teach identification of problem situations through recognition of “upset” feelings.
2. Attributional processes that lead to an appropriate sense of self-responsibility.
3. Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of logical reasoning and problem-solving, e.g., “if…then” and “why…because.”
4. Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of emotions and emotional states; e.g., excited, disappointed, confused, guilty, etc. Increased use of verbal mediation.
5. Increased ability to recognise and interpret similarities and differences in the feelings, reactions and points of view of self and others.
6. Increased understanding of how one’s behaviour affects others.
7. Increased knowledge of, and skill in, the steps of social problem-solving: stopping and thinking; identifying problems and feelings; setting goals; generating alternative solutions; anticipating and evaluating consequences; planning, executing and evaluating a course of action; trying again if the first solution fails.
8. Increased ability to apply social problem-solving skills to prevent and/or resolve problems and conflicts in social interactions.

Due to our commitment to the programme, we are now a PATHS accredited school and have fully embedded the principles and practices of the programme. It helps us to deliver our wider Health and Wellbeing curriculum across the school, with a particular focus on mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.