At Cardenden we support the wellbeing of all. Our wellbeing ethos is built on a commitment to strong values and using nurturing approaches. Our Behaviour and Relationships policy focusses on Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and places children and young people’s wellbeing at the centre of all assessment and planning. It recognises that children and young people will have different experiences in their lives and have the right to expect appropriate support from adults to allow them to grow and develop and reach their full potential. This is now enshrined in legislation in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (2014)5 which reinforces the rights of children and young people. Many of the key components of GIRFEC can be found within a nurturing approach, including the focus on wellbeing, an understanding of resilience and a need to implement thorough assessment to support children and young people’s wellbeing needs.

We are supported in our work with programmes such as:

Emotion Works

This supports the creation of a common emotional language and allows the school community to have consistent approaches when discussing emotions. It helps children to recognise and label emotions and identify associated body sensations, behaviours, possible triggers and emotional regulation strategies.

 

5 Ways To Wellbeing – a way of thinking which supports positive feelings of wellbeing.

1.  Connect with other people. Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing.
2.  Be physically active.
3.  Learn new skills.
4.  Give to others.
5.  Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)

Our Minds Matter (OMM)

This is a framework used to support children and young people’s emotional wellbeing in Fife.

This framework recognises that children and
young people need support from good,
broad pastoral care around them and a
means of support if they experience
difficulties. The responsibility for children and
young people’s health lies with the wide
range of supporters around them – families,
friends and professionals.

Nurture approaches include:

• Kitbag
• Lego Therapy
• Pupil Voice groupings and active-schools activities add to our nurturing environment too.
• Consistent use of relate, regulate and restore vocabulary to support distressed learners.
• Each classroom and nursery area has a quiet space in the classroom and outside the classroom but nearby to allow pupils space to self-regulate and be ready to learn.