Well Being
Emotional well being – Ferre Laevers
“Well-being” indicates that the basic needs of the child are satisfied and refers to the degree to which children feel at ease, act spontaneously, and show vitality and self-confidence.
At Gill Blowers we measure children’s well-being using a five-point scale – the Leuven Well-being Scale – has been developed to facilitate measurement and ensure inter-rater reliability. The Leuven Scale includes a methodology and a range of applications, for example a screening procedure through which practitioners assign scores for well-being and based on their observations over a period of a few weeks. This group screening is the starting point for a further analysis focusing on children with lower levels of well-being or involvement in order to understand why they do not feel good within the setting or do not engage in activities. This analysis forms the basis for interventions toward individual children and toward the general context and/or the teachers’ approaches.
At Gill Blowers well-being screening comprises of four stages:
Stage 1 – Initial screening for all children using the 5 point scale
Stage 2 – For children that score 3 or below – further analysis related to well-being in the four domains of social activity.
Stage 3 /4 – Children that score 3 have planned small group interventions. Children that score 1 or 2 have 1 to 1 interventions.
Stage 3a/4a – Half termly review and re-screen of children.
Children that are not on the Well-being program or no longer need this level of intervention are supported through the ‘class helper’ system. The theory is that by helping others, the helper is helped, in the process of helping another member, the helper gains an increased sense of self-confidence and self-esteem, and the helping endeavor results in a mutually beneficial outcome.
Wellbeing for Staff
At Gill Blowers Nursery the Headteacher believes it is very important to also ensure the wellbeing of the staff.
‘Wellbeing is all about our holistic health, including the physical and emotional. When we have good levels of wellbeing we feel that life is in balance and that we can generally cope well. We feel motivated and engaged, we’re resilient and able to deal effectively with daily troubles, as well as ’bounce back’ from life’s challenges’.
Good staff wellbeing is essential for cultivating a mentally healthy school, for retaining and motivating staff and for promoting pupil wellbeing and attainment.
Gill blowers have a Staff Wellbeing team who meet regularly to arrange ideas or treats to keep up staff morale and support wellbeing
