Dear Parents and Carers,
Now that we are almost halfway through the school year, we very much hope that your child is settled and happy to come to school. At Bramhope, we teach children to reflect on their feelings and articulate their concerns. We are also aware that children are growing up in a world which can feel complex and uncertain, and we want to equip them with strategies to deal with change.
This year, we have developed our school transition programme so that children in Y5 and Y6 have the opportunity to think about how they are changing and how they can ultimately become 'secondary ready'. Last week, we piloted some very successful ‘Grow Your Resilience, Grow Your Own Identity’ workshops led by Sue O'Leary Hall, from Thesan Coaching and Training. Sue recently led our 'Helping your child with anxiety' workshop for parents and is also working with staff on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
The aims of the pupil workshops were to help pupils develop their resilience and problem-solving skills, explore the concept of identity and consider how they might continue to develop their own sense of identity.
Pupils worked in small teams to attempt a range of increasingly challenging problems. We used the problem-solving activities as a springboard to discuss the concept of neuroplasticity, encouraging pupils to view challenge as a positive experience and understand that initial failures can lead to deeper learning.
Pupils considered which elements of a person’s identity might be fixed from birth and which might change over time, as well as identifying some of the factors which could catalyse those changes, such as environmental and social factors. Over the three days, we discussed a variety of pupil experiences including peer pressure and differences in cultural backgrounds which might influence the development of their ideas and attitudes. In this section of the workshop, pupils also watched a short video clip of the song, ‘This Is Me’ and explored the idea of self-acceptance. The workshop culminated in pupils giving advice on a number of scenarios around academic resilience, peer pressure and emotional wellbeing.
Some of my favourite snippets of feedback from the workshops include ...
Molly: “I liked how we could have honest conversations.”
Edward: “I enjoyed the challenges and learnt that I can be myself.”
Mabel : “I learnt to think more about my friends and life.”
Hallil: “I learnt that you should always stand up for what you think is right.”
Elodie: “I learnt to be yourself and not change because of other people."
Eaden: “I learnt about neural pathways. I loved it!”
Anon: “I learnt not to be anxious about your identity.”
Olivia : “I learnt that it isn’t a big deal when things go wrong.”
Bethany: “I learnt that resilience is important in everyone’s lives.”
Izzy: “I learnt to be myself. It really boosted my confidence.”
Priya: "I learnt that it doesn’t matter who you are and what you like because people have different opinions.”
Ellin: “I learnt that I don’t have to change who I am.”
As you can see, the workshops covered far more than transition to secondary school. I believe they have started some really important conversations and very much hope your child is sharing their thoughts and ideas with you too.
