Health and Wellbeing across learning is the responsibility of all school staff and is a key objective at Ralston Primary School.  Health and Wellbeing should encourage pupils to explore and clarify their beliefs, attitudes and values; develop personal and interpersonal skills and increase their knowledge and understanding of a range of health issues.

 

At Ralston Primary School, we aim to:

• Support children to make informed decisions in order to improve their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing
• provide challenge and enjoyment for all children
• promote positive aspects of healthy living and activity for our children
• equip children with the ability to apply their mental, emotional, social and physical skills to pursue a healthy lifestyle
• encourage children to make a successful move to the next stage of education or work
• establish a pattern of health and wellbeing which will be sustained into adult life
• foster links between school, home, community and partner agencies to ensure a collective responsibility for promoting good health

Health and Wellbeing is structured into the six organisers below.  Effective Health and Wellbeing requires exchange of information, mutual support and collaboration with community partners, schools and parents.  At Ralston, we actively seek opportunities to promote health and wellbeing through our coherent and continuously progressive health programme.

1. Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing

We are committed to supporting our children to develop skills, attitudes and behaviours which promote resilience and good mental health.  At Ralston, we use the Bounce Back approach which is a programme that helps children identify unhelpful thoughts and feelings and supports them to respond in a positive way.  The foundation of this approach is the Bounce Back acronym:

Bad times don’t last. Things always get better.

Other people can help if you talk to them.

Unhelpful thinking makes you feel more upset.

Nobody is perfect.

Concentrate on the positives.

Everybody experiences sadness, hurt, failure.

Blame fairly.

Accept what can’t be changed.

Catastrophising exaggerates your worries.

Keep things in perspective.

2. Planning for Choices and Changes

Children are provided with opportunities to discuss and identify the changes they will experience, both physically and emotionally as they grow from childhood to adulthood.  Children are provided with opportunities to identify good and bad choices and how these will affect themselves and those around them.

 

3. Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport

Physical education provides learners with a platform from which they can build physical competences, improve aspects of fitness and develop personal and interpersonal skills and attributes. It enables learners to develop the concepts and skills necessary for participation in a wide range of physical activity, sport, dance and outdoor learning, and enhances their physical wellbeing in preparation for leading a fulfilling, active and healthy lifestyle.

 

Children will experience opportunities to develop physical skills, build confidence, work with others and to foster a positive attitude towards health and fitness.  They will work with a range of equipment and apparatus, both indoors and outdoors.  This will be provided through a minimum of two hours of P.E. per week and through our commitment to the Daily Mile challenge, which is used as a ‘brain break’ during the day.

 

4. Food and Health

Children develop their understanding of a healthy diet and expand their knowledge and skills to make healthy food choices. They explore how the dietary needs of individuals and groups vary through life stages and about everyday routines including good oral health.

 

5. Substance Misuse

Children learn about the use and misuse of a variety of substances including over the counter and prescribed medicines, alcohol, drugs, tobacco and solvents. They develop their understanding of the impact of risk-taking behaviour on their life choices. This will enable them to make well informed personal choices with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyles. This programme of work is in liaison with outside agencies.

 

6. Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP)

Within the wider context of Health and Wellbeing lies the need to ensure that children are provided with appropriate, structured and coherent learning experiences to help them develop an understanding of how to maintain positive relationships with a variety of people and develop their awareness of how thoughts, feelings, attitudes, values and beliefs can influence decisions about relationships, and sexual health. This is taught at each stage using the National RSHP Resource which provides a comprehensive set of learning activities structured in line with Curriculum for Excellence.