St Margaret’s Prep School in Calne is making sure pupil wellbeing remains firmly at the heart of the school, with the appointment of Mrs Polly Marsh, their new Head of Learning and Enhancement and Wellbeing.
Polly will work with children to to gather an overview of what they understand about mental wellbeing, what they think it is, address any misconceptions and then work collaboratively to explore ways in which they can help themselves, but also how they can help others.
Polly explains, “I think the underlying message children need to know and understand is why mental wellbeing is so important, to know that when they are happier, and feeling positive they are ready and more able to learn, which ultimately increases their life chances. I really like the expression, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved and a joy shared is a joy doubled.’
“Children need to know that sometimes it’s ok not to be ok, but what is important is to share what’s on their mind because there is usually a solution, advice or a helpful strategy which can solve a problem. Additionally, it is also important for children to have the opportunity to share happy experiences too as this supports positive mental wellbeing.”
Polly will be leading a range of wellbeing initiatives at the school, starting with a PASS (Pupil Attitudes to School and Self) assessment which uses wellbeing data to identify strands which need attention. This will allow St Margaret’s to personalise its wellbeing provision and use these findings to drive its provision in wellbeing.
Find out more and meet Polly at one of St Margaret’s weekly tours. Visit https://www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk/ for more information.