Wellbeing Pioneer School

As a school, we have officially been recognised as a Wellbeing Pioneer School and were awarded the Gold Award: National Whole School Wellbeing.   During 2023, we worked on many areas of wellbeing and have implemented the following areas:

1. Staggered drop off for all children, meaning anxiety levels do not increase while waiting on the playground.   All children enter the school via their entrance and enter their classrooms.   This has reduced anxiety levels for most children.
2. Wellbeing time established in all classrooms every school day – 8:35am to 8.50am.   This is an opportunity for the children and adults to interact with each other, catch up, destress and an opportunity for the adults to say hello to every child.
3. Zones of regulations are established and children and staff all engage with it.   This allows adults and children to know how everyone is feeling.   Any child who highlights that they are not in a positive frame of mind are identified by adults and are subtly approached to help them settle into the school day.   If a child is not in the right mindset they cannot learn.
4. A new School Behaviour Policy was written and embedded throughout the school which follows a positive approach to improve wellbeing for children and staff.
5. A website page was created in order to offer support for families and staff - https://www.barming.kent.sch.uk/support-for-our-families/   This page has many links to support families with financial hardship, dyslexia, sleep, domestic abuse, single parent families, bereavement, mental health and wellbeing, autism, challenging behaviour, trauma and neglect, ADHD, confidence, self-esteem, resilience, growth mindset and ‘How my behaviour affects my child?’
6. We have created two policies for wellbeing: Child Wellbeing Policy and an Employee Wellbeing policy.   We have also created a Dignity at Work Statement.
7. A Nurture Hub was installed November 2023 and a Nurture Practitioner has been employed to help run it alongside the Inclusion Manager.   This is to be utilised as a safe nurturing space which will incorporate social groups, interventions and meaningful short term reintegration programmes.
8. Community book sheds have been set up as not all our families can afford books and access to reading books is incredibly important.   Parents donate books and all children can swap books, borrow books and/or keep the books.   We ask for donations throughout the year to keep them well stocked.   We want to enhance the enjoyment of reading and to remind families that it is a good way to relax for all the family.
9. Second hand uniform sales to support our low-income families.   If families can’t afford uniform the school supplies the family with it.
10. Increase in Forest School provision – all classes get two days per year.   Mr Croucher runs a Forest School Nurture group on a Monday afternoon for those children who struggle with school.   This group changes termly.   Any additional free days for Forest School are allocated according to the need of the school – this could be a class or a group.
11. We offer and organise parent workshops around key areas.   These are held on different days and at different times to allow parents more opportunities to attend.
12. Transition between pre-school to EYFS, EYFS to KS1, KS1 to KS2 and KS2 to KS3 (Secondary School) are established and carried out at appropriate times of the year.   EYFS have a two-week induction process in September to support the children and build up their time in school.   The Year 6 children had access to 4 workshops.
13. Staff have a far better understanding of behaviour and the causes.   Lots of CPD on autism, ADHD, trauma, neglect etc. Staff are also now asking in their Appraisals for further training on areas of interest to develop their own understanding.
14. We follow the Opal scheme - Outdoor Play and Learning.   Offering a better play offer and allowing children to be children.   This is designed to improve behaviour.

Our Vision

Our focus is on developing the whole child, giving them the best possible chance of realising their true potential. We support our children in being healthy and happy, with a keen sense of who they are and where they might go in life.

Our values of Respect, Responsibility, Wisdom and Courage act as a compass. They help us navigate the big decisions and guide our everyday actions - throughout the good and the tough times. They are an integral part of our DNA and help all those connected to the school know what is expected of them and what they can expect of us.

• Children that are happy, confident and have a sense of where they are going in life and how they will get there.

• Staff that feel valued, happy and inspired to work as part of a team with the kudos and rewards that it brings to their work and home life. They feel a strong sense of well-being – both towards themselves and their colleagues.

• A ‘community of practice’ - pooling resources, knowledge and experience to ensure parents and our local community thrive.

• We provide an environment that is stimulating, challenging and a place where children feel it is safe to learn from their mistakes.

• Our approach to learning is child-centred, inclusive and is focused on the development of the whole child, both socially and academically. It is incredibly important to offer an enriching learning experience for the children through a broad and balanced curriculum. Our learning culture is one of pride, self-motivation and resilience. From their start in Reception, we encourage the children to develop enquiring minds with the independence and determination to succeed at all they set their minds to.

• We want our children to be happy in their learning and to take pride in their achievements. We expect our children to make a positive contribution to our school community by being responsible, polite, compassionate and respectful.

We believe in a curriculum that develops the whole child, as independent, confident learners that are resilient, cope with failure and are not afraid of making mistakes but understand and embrace the value of learning through mistakes. The children are at the centre of our decision making.

Core Values

Respect – A welcoming environment that celebrates diversity

Responsibility– For each other, the School and the community

Courage – Being brave and confident to take on new challenges

Wisdom - Making good choices and reflecting upon them

Community Code

Be Kind

Be Safe

Be Responsible

... and Make Good Choices!