Mindfulness
Young people are under increasing pressure from society these days and dealing with life’s stresses can be challenging. Students may experience anxious times when transitioning to us from Year 6, when they approach exams or just in response to whatever is going on around them in their everyday lives. OPGS is a Mindful School where we encourage our students to develop positive strategies to manage and cope.
Mindfulness is not:
Religious, yoga, counselling.
Mindfulness is:
A tool and a life skill. It teaches us to:
- Pause
- Be still and quiet – and to be comfortable with this.
- Ground ourselves in the moment whenever we feel anxious or overwhelmed.
- Recognise our thoughts and slowly learn whether to interact with them or not.
Mindfulness helps with:
- Anxiety
- Mental overload
- Impulsivity
- Self-regulation
and helps us to cope in an increasingly busy world.
The OPGS Mindfulness Programme
The Mindfulness programme is led by Ms Worrall and Mrs Harries. We deliver the .b course from the Mindfulness in Schools Project [MiSP].
Course Outline
- Introduction to Mindfulness
- Lesson 1 - Playing Attention
- Lesson 2 - Taming the Animal Mind
- Lesson 3 - Recognising Worry
- Lesson 4 - Being Here Now
- Lesson 5 - Moving Mindfully
- Lesson 6 - Stepping Back
- Lesson 7 - Befriending the Difficult
- Lesson 8 - Taking in the Good
- Lesson 9 - Bringing it all Together
Students are referred to the programme via their Director of Study and can work through the 10 week course during their registration periods or after school. These sessions are 1:1 with either Ms Worrall or Mrs Harries. Sixth Form can be seen on an individual basis during their private study periods.
All Year 7 students undertake the first 5 Mindfulness lessons as part of their PSHE curriculum in the autumn term, to support their transition from primary school. They continue with the programme in Year 8 during PSHE.
