Well-being in the curriculum
Well-being in the curriculum
At Ysgol Nantgwyn, well-being is a subject that sits within the faculty of life. In line with the Curriculum for Wales, we have developed a holistic well-being curriculum that fosters a whole-school approach, enabling health and well-being to permeate all aspects of school life.
Although our pupils have timetabled well-being lessons, well-being isn’t a subject taught in isolation and all staff at our school know and understand the part they play in developing well-being in our pupils.
Our curriculum encompasses a progression of pathway points from nursery to year 11 based around the 5 statements of ‘what matters’ from the Curriculum for Wales :
- Developing physical health and well-being has lifelong benefits.
- How we process and respond to our experiences affects our mental health and emotional well-being.
- Our decision-making impacts on the quality of our lives and the lives of others.
- How we engage with social influences shapes who we are and affects our health and well-being.
- Healthy relationships are fundamental to our well-being.
In nursery through to year 6, pupils are taught well-being through their Caru Dysgu themes and during designated well-being lessons, some of which are delivered by the sporting marvels team. Themes such as ‘Conflict’ in year 5 provide pupils with opportunities to develop skills such as being able recognise and resolve conflicts.
In years 7 to 11, pupils have a mixture of physical and classroom based well-being lessons. Our physical well-being lessons provide pupils with opportunities to develop skills in a variety of traditional and non-traditional sports and we also encourage our pupils to take on roles as officials and coaches to develop their leadership skills. In our classroom based lessons we follow a pathway map.
Pupils in year 7 to year 11 also have fortnightly ‘healthy, confident Individuals’ form tutor lessons linked to the four purposes of the Welsh curriculum. These lessons have been developed after consultation with pupils, parents, governors and staff, where it was identified that ‘building mental and emotional well-being’ was the most important strand to focus on.
There are many ways you can help develop well-being at home:
- Make sure your child has a good night's sleep.
- Talk about how they can stay healthy, through exercise, healthy eating and making healthy lifestyle choices.
- Talk about and discuss different feelings and how they can manage these feelings.
- With younger pupils, play lots of games encouraging them to take turns, following rules, and listening to instructions.
You can also support your child by helping them make sure they are organised and ready for well-being lessons by ensuring they have the appropriate kit on physical well-being days so that they are fully engaged in all lessons.
Throughout the school year, pupils are also set regular independent learning tasks linked to well-being. Encourage and support your child to complete these tasks as they reinforce the learning taking place in school.