Thomas A Becket Junior School
Home PageWellbeing at TAB
Well-being Information and Resources
At the beginning of the current COVID-19 pandemic we set up our TAB well-being section on the school website, pulling together information and resources. We have recently reviewed it, adding and updating information to support parents and carers both now and in the future. Please remember to be mindful that we have endeavoured to check all the suggested websites, but there are many links within them and checking them all would be impractical and impossible. We trust that our parents and carers are best placed to decide what they feel is appropriate for their child's needs.
Worry Website
Click on the link below to see this wonderful website that Rosalie in 5AH has created.
"When I started at TAB, and during lockdown, I found I worried about lots of things. I read a really good book by Jacqueline Wilson named “The Worry Website” where a class designed a website for other pupils to share the things that made them anxious. It made me think that I should do the same for TAB!
I used a template to design the website and researched lots of useful tips, videos and techniques to share with the school that have helped me. I hope you find this useful too and if you do, please share any other ideas for me to include in the future."
https://sites.google.com/view/worrywebsite/home
Useful Resources, Information and Web Links
When the children returned in September we began a whole-school focus to help the children learn about, recognise and understand their emotions and begin to find strategies to regulate those emotions themselves. This was based on the ‘Zones of Regulation’ by Leah M. Kuypers. Each class teacher incorporates this into their timetable throughout the year and encourages the children to talk about the various ‘Zones’ they find themselves in throughout the day.
We wanted the children to understand that everyone encounters different emotions but it is the situation they find themselves in that can cause difficulty, not the emotion itself. To help the children we began by discussing feelings using this clip Inside Out: Guessing the feelings. You will probably recognise this from the film ‘Inside Out’.
We are helping the children to create a toolbox that they can use to regulate their emotions (some classes are currently at different stages in this process). If your child is struggling to regulate their emotions, you may find the resources below useful to discuss with your child and to create your own toolboxes that can work at home. In class, they are encouraged to think about the tool that they need to use to get them back to the appropriate zone for the activity they need to do.
This is a really useful resource explaining the Zones of Regulation.
We have a commitment to wellbeing at TAB and have, for some time, used the ‘Five ways to Wellbeing’ ethos to improve outcomes for our whole community. You may already be aware of this, but if not here is a good place to start.
Some emotions need specific support, please explore the following pages, videos and documents for more support.
Physical tools for reducing anxiety written by Mel Newton and Fliss McHale.
As a school we are also aware that some primary school children will self-harm, we are aware that this can be quite shocking for parents/carers to discover. West Sussex has invested in training and advice for professionals and within this advice is the document below.
Book and Website Recommendations
Starving the Anxiety Gremlin 5-9 (Kate Collins-Donnelly) older version also available
Starving the Anger Gremlin 5-9 (Kate Collins-Donnelly) older version also available
The Huge Bag of Worries (Virginia Ironside) - younger children
What to Do When You Worry Too Much (Dawn Huebner PHD)
What to Do When Your Temper Flares (Dawn Huebner PHD)
Help I’ve got an Alarm Bell Going Off in my Head (K.L Aspden)- older children- particularly those who have experienced trauma/ have pronounced anxiety
The Invisible String (Patrice Karst) - for young children who may be missing contact with significant people in their lives.
Beyond Toddlerdom (Dr Christopher Green) - has some short, practical advice sections on sibling conflict and routines
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) Resources
A site created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together resources from across the internet that are available to help support your mental health and wellbeing. There is a collection of downloadable self-help guides, websites, Apps (some chargeable), videos and recommended books.
Useful Resources, Information and Web Links for Home Learning
Here is some information that although were created for home learning during the pandemic have strategies that support parents with homework.