Food: A Fact of Life have added six new activity packs to the website.  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 .

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

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.  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.

FREE mental health and resilience training for schools

Mindapples has been promoting public mental health and wellbeing across the UK since 2008. Over the years they’ve received lots of similar feedback from adults “if only I was taught this at school”. The vision at Mindapples is of a world where taking care of our minds is natural and normal for everyone – and this should start with children and young people.  Since mental wellbeing and resilience became a statutory part of the curriculum, Mindapples want to help schools deliver on this promise to young people. Working with schools across the UK, they have developed a package of training and classroom resources to support teachers in delivering the new curriculum and developing an approach to mental wellbeing that can benefit the whole school community of staff, pupils and parents.  The training equips school staff with the awareness and understanding they need to take care of their own minds, and the tools to help them facilitate positive conversations about mental health and wellbeing with pupils, school communities and families, to build cultures which promote healthy habits and open conversations.

“It was a really well run, well-delivered, well-resourced and useful course which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I will be delivering training on this to our whole student body and I only hope I deliver it half as well as you did and inspire our staff to make a difference as you have me!"
Judith Firth Assistant Head Mayfield School Portsmouth

Mindapples recently took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge and reached their fundraising target so can now provide their schools programme to more schools in the UK for FREE. They are now looking for schools to receive our training so if you would like more information on the programme, course dates and registration please visit here. If you have any questions please email Michele Worden at schools@mindapples.org.

Young Minds know how important it is for young people to have mental health advice that takes into account their faith, and cultural background. For young Muslims in particular, finding tailored support can be challenging.  For a young person who’s struggling, it can feel very difficult to talk about what you’re going through and reach out for support especially if you’re worried that the people around you won’t understand. But Young Minds want young people to know that they don’t have to struggle alone, and that they deserve to feel proud of who they are. Whoever they are. That’s why Young Minds have teamed up with Muslim Youth Helpline, and worked directly with young Muslims from across the UK, to create a range of faith friendly information and mental health advice.

Download Young Minds Faith Friendly resources here .

Xplore is a Family Lifestyle Programme aimed at helping children and young people who are over the healthy weight range and between the ages of 4 and 13 to move more, eat well and feel good. This free 8 week programme supports families to make sustained lifestyle and dietary changes. For more information and to book on, please contact Xplore.Barnet@gll.org