Well-Being at Annesley
Well-Being at Annesley
What is well-being?
Well-being [ noun ] – the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy.
This is the Oxford English Dictionary definition of wellbeing, but what does that actually mean? There is no simple answer! What one person feels is their perfect state of wellbeing may be completely different from another person. This stands to reason as we all have different goals, ambitions and personalities and lifestyles, this is particularly relevant to children.
The idea of being comfortable, healthy and happy has many different facets that will always be subjective. For example, the English Oxford Dictionary’s definition mentions happiness. However, wellbeing as a concept is much broader than this and has been debated since the Third Century BC. The Philosopher Aristotle came up with the concept of Eudaimonia – the contented state of feeling healthy, happy and prosperous. Even though happiness is an integral part of your personal wellness, it includes other things such as the fulfillment of long-term goals, your sense of purpose and how in control you feel in life.
Well-being in children, especially in relation to education is also multi-faceted, depending on each individuals personal circumstances. In the most general of terms, well-being in school for children should be physically and emotionally well, educationally challenged and with a wide and supportive friendship network.
What does it mean to us at Annesley School?
At Annesley school, the well-being of all children, staff and the wider community is of the upmost importance to us. Not only do we have a dedicated Mental Health and Well-being lead, who works with children, staff, parents and carers to promote a healthy lifestyle but he also uses interventions to help children recognise and overcome anxieties, emotional trauma and troubles within school. If this cannot be achieved he will work with families to signpost to the best professional help or resources.
Well-being has a intrinsic link to being fit and healthy and Annesley provide after-school and in school clubs to promote physical wellness, it is also lucky enough to have its own swimming pool where we have made a promise that every child will be able to swim before leaving our school.
Diet also plays an important part to positive well-being and we promote this all the time with our healthy snack through the week, healthy and nutritious lunches are provided as well as continually promoting healthy eating and nutrition through or science and PSHE curriculum.
All staff are aware of the importance of positive mental health and well-being and all teaching staff receive CPD relating to spotting the signs and symptoms of mental ill health. This will continue annually and be available to all new teaching staff.
Finally, friendships at school are paramount to positive well-being, we always promote children to have a large friendship group which allows them to grow both emotionally and socially through having diverse friendships. Children are also aware of who to speak with if they are having problems with their friends that is more than just a disagreement.
Annesley has always been a school for the community, we welcome and promote ideas from everyone on how to improve and champion well-being, this will always be the case and we will strive to be a place of educational excellence, positive and fun experiences and a place to build friendships and happy memories.