Taking care of young minds

As schools up and down the country mark Children’s Mental Health Week, pupils at Rothwell Schools, part of the Pathfinder Schools family, are looking forward to experiencing their first mindfulness sessions.

Across the week, pupils as young as 7 to 11 years will get to take part in carefully-adapted sessions at East Carlton Country Park. Delivered by specially trained park rangers, the children will enjoy physical challenges, sensory exercises and be encouraged to talk about their feelings.

Mindfulness is a well-respected technique which aims to improve emotional wellbeing by helping people connect with the present and engage with their surroundings and environment, and is now also used to help children.

Maria Barker, Executive Headteacher, Rothwell Schools, said:

"Evidence tells us that children are never too young to start learning about their mental health and being shown techniques to improve their emotional resilience. Through our mindfulness sessions we hope to gently introduce practical approaches they can adopt in everyday life to help them manage their emotions and any anxiety they may experience. It’s been wonderful to see them enjoying the mindfulness sessions – not to mention the fun they have had when eating a doughnut without licking their lips – all the while knowing we are helping them develop important skills to support their overall happiness and future success."