Borough News
Barnet
Food: A Fact of Life have added six new activity packs to the website. Â Each pack is based on a food theme and combines learning about healthy eating, cooking or where food comes from, with early years curriculum areas such as numeracy, literacy and physical development.
The activity packs can be downloaded from the website .
This year National Breastfeeding Week will be taking place from 18th - 24th September. Continuing and building on last year's theme, 'Everyone has a part to play in helping mums to breastfeed'. This will include daily themes and activities showing how families, community and health and education services all have a part to play in supporting mothers to have the feeding experience they hoped for.
A new National Breastfeeding Week social media toolkit is now available to download form the Campaign Resource Centre, to support partners engage with and promote the week.
Additionally, there is an extensive suite of free resources and campaign materials to help support any planned activity, to promote local activities and signpost your local population to our breastfeeding support tools, such as the Start for Life Breastfeeding Hub. You can order these now from the Campaign Resource Centre so that they arrive before National Breastfeeding Week (please allow five working days from placing your order). These include:
- The 'Off to the best start breastfeeding' A4 leaflet
- Empty belly posters to allow partners to add local information on breastfeeding.
- As well as a range of social and digital assets and leaflets on the Start for Life Breastfeeding page.
The Daily Mile Foundation have released some new #BackToSchool resources to help you get a healthy start to the year. To support you with The Daily Mile as a health and wellbeing initiative for your children, The Daily Mile Foundation are excited to launch the brand-new Global Rugby Challenge resource. This challenge encourages children to travel round the global map by running, jogging, wheeling or walking The Daily Mile, whilst learning fun facts and answering rugby questions about countries along the way. The resources are free to all schools that are registered to The Daily Mile (which is also free).
Sign-up to The Daily Mile (for free) here.
You’ll get a welcome pack with instructions in the post, as well as stickers for your children.
With a rise in the number of children vaping, Better Health have created teaching resources aimed at helping Key Stage 3 children understand the impact that vaping has on their physical and mental wellbeing. The three curriculum linked resources feature:
- Information on nicotine, what vaping is and the impact it has
- Films co-created by young people
- Activities to prompt pupil discussion and reflection
- Content written and reviewed by teachers
- Guidance on teaching about vaping
- Flexibility of use as either short form time activities or a full lesson plan
Download Teaching Resources here .
Barnet Public Health in collaboration with Yinka Thomas, an experienced nutritionist, from Middlesex University, have designed a toolkit to assist with educating secondary school-aged pupils (although may be suitable for some Year 6 children) on sugar, trans-fats and health.
This is a useful PSHE resource which includes:
- Film Links (each video is around 15-20 minutes long)
- Learning Objectives
- A Student Activity
- Teachers notes
Access the toolkit here. After the use of the toolkit, please facilitate pupils to complete this online evaluation form. Schools that complete the evaluation form will be automatically entered into a prize draw for the academic year. The winning school will be selected at random and will receive a monetary voucher of at least £50 in value.
The Barnet Resilient Schools Programme is an innovative free initiative that takes a whole-school approach to promote and build resilience in schools, destigmatise mental health, and address mental and emotional well-being concerns early on. Resilience in schools is seen when pupils, parents, carers and staff have a greater ability to “bounce back’’ when faced with difficulties so that they can achieve positive outcomes. For further information on the programme and/or how you can become a Resilient School, please contact jayne.abbott@barnet.gov.uk.
Let's Talk about Anxiety is an animation and accompanying teacher toolkit from Schools in Mind.
Aimed at students aged 11 to 13, the resource will help young people to normalise, understand and manage anxious feelings.
As well as the animation, which was co-created with young people, the resources include:
- materials for delivering a lesson, including a PowerPoint, lesson plan and worksheets
- materials for delivering an assembly, including a PowerPoint and assembly plan
- guidance materials for teachers, PSHE co-ordinators and parents/carers.
To download the resources click here
A reminder about Alcohol Education Trust's range of evidence-based resources available now to download or as hard copies free of charge. To order your resources, please email kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org .
The following resources are available free of charge:
- Talk About Alcohol Teacher Workbook Talk About Alcohol is based around 6 key lessons to be delivered in Years 8 and 9 by topic. The resource includes additional lesson plans, games and activities organised by topic and year group. With PowerPoints embedded into the teacher guidance, it can be downloaded via Download Teacher Workbook - Alcohol Education Trust For ease of planning and for referral a printed copy can be ordered from kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org
- ‘ Alcohol and You’ guide for young people including top tips and advice on staying safe around alcohol. alcohol_and_you.pdf (alcoholeducationtrust.org) Hard copies can be ordered by contacting kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org
- ‘Talking to Kids’ parent guide including helpful advice and information on topic including units, guidelines, the effects of alcohol and the law. ParentGuide.pdf (alcoholeducationtrust.org) We also host parent and carer talks both virtually and in school.
- Six fully planned lessons including accompanying PowerPoints. These lessons help ensure high-quality, effective alcohol education lessons with minimal planning requirements. Download via Download Lesson PLans | Alcohol Education Trust
- SEN Activity Box including laminated activity cards and the BAFTA-winning ‘Just a Few Drinks’ films. This is particularly suitable for those working with pupils SEN or more vulnerable young people.
- www.alcoholeducationtrust.org which offers a wealth of excellent resources organised by topic and year group.
- www.talkaboutalcohol.com is a pupil-facing online learning zone including fun and engaging activities and games such as an online nightclub. The site allows pupils to learn to make safe choices around alcohol in a very pupil-friendly way.
- Life Stuff (life-stuff.org)Â is an advice and information hub for 16+ and includes topics such as alcohol, drugs, mental health and finances.
If you work with young people aged 16-25, we have a new set of resources looking at alcohol and cannabis. Please contact kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org for further information.
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Alcohol and cannabis resources If you work with young people aged 16-25, AET have a new set of resources looking at alcohol and cannabis. Please contact kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org for further information.
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Teacher/staff training sessions We highly recommend that to ensure that the activities, games and discussions used in Talk About Alcohol are fully understood and embraced by staff, training is organised for all relevant staff. Our highly trained staff demonstrate best practice use of our resources as well as the games and activities suitable for young people. Sessions can be tailored to suit your school and a Q and A session is also included. Evidence shows that PSHE education is best delivered by well trained staff who are trusted by pupils who know them well. ‘One off’ sessions delivered by visitors to school are enjoyed but do not lead to behaviour change as several lessons that build spirals of knowledge and understanding are key.
- Parent talks We can provide a talk to parents covering parental supply, parties, being good role models and setting boundaries, the law, what to do if things go wrong and how best to speak to young people to help them stay safe around alcohol.
April is Stress Awareness Month, so Education Support have put together some new resources.
Don't forget. Their free and confidential helpline, is there to support you and your staff every day of the year. You're never on your own.
Tel: 08000 562 561.
1. Stress Risk Assessments
A stress risk assessment can help to reduce the risk of stress to yourself and your colleagues, promote good mental health, and create a happy and healthy school environment.
To find out more and how to approach doing a stress risk assessment in your school click here.
2. Dealing with the Stress of Behaviour Management
Through his vast teaching experience, Athir Hassan, also known as The Behaviour Trainer, has developed various techniques to manage the stresses and anxieties related to managing student behaviour. Â To find out more click here.
3. Stress Busting Tips
A fantastic panel of teachers and mental health experts share some excellent tips to help you gain control on your stress-levels.  Watch here.
4. Boost staff wellbeing with an Employee Assistance Programme
Hear from Mark and Sophie, who work with schools across the country, about the tangible benefits of Education Supports Employee Assistance Programme could bring your school. Watch here.
Please share this information with your families:
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.  If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Money will be added to this card every 4 weeks.
You’ll get:
- £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week
- £8.50 each week for children from birth to 1
- £4.25 each week for children between 1 and 4
You will also be entitled to FREE healthy start vitamins for yourself and children.
Who can apply?
In addition, you must be receiving any of the following:
- Child Tax Credit (only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
- Universal Credit (only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
You will also be eligible for Healthy Start if you’re under 18 and pregnant, even if you are not claiming any benefits.
How to Apply
You can apply online:  Please visit here .