Mental health and wellbeing competition for schools

The prize consists of:

• Online training to enable the winning schools to set up and then run the Circles for Learning Project for one year. Courses can be chosen from the four specifically written courses that form the foundations for positive mental health and wellbeing. These include Creating Positive Relationships, The Brain, Learning and Behaviour, Emotional Literacy and Self-awareness.
• Resources to support the Project, this includes the complete set of books from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Teachers Toolkit published by Routledge.
• Online coaching from the founder of the project Alison Waterhouse. Once a term (6 sessions) for one hour each session to support the development of the project throughout the first year.
• A certificate for the Lead Practitioner to show their training, coaching sessions and delivery of the project.

To enter the competition please complete the form below and ensure that the Headteacher and Chair of Governors from your school signs the application form before you submit it to: alisonwaterhouse@circlesforlearning.co.uk

Applications will be open from Monday 27th February

Closing Date is Friday 7th April at 12 midday

The Winning schools will be informed by phone/email before the announcement on Monday 9th May

A panel of judges will read through the applications and 1 school will be chosen in each of the three categories:

• Primary schools
• Secondary schools
• Other: This category will include International Schools, Special Schools, Alternative Provisions, Progressive Schools or Home Educational Hubs

The panel will discuss each of the applications in full and make their decision. Their decision will be final.

Circles for Learning is a unique enquiry led Learning Journey shared with a class or small group of children from KS1-KS3. It trains teachers to bring a parent and young child into the classroom once a month for a year. These parent and young child sessions are followed up with a variety of exciting activities that support the development of positive foundations for mental health and wellbeing. The Circles for Learning Project is based on research and has shown impact on social skills, emotional literacy, self-esteem, learning and behaviour.

The parent child observations and follow up activities focused on the five key areas that build positive foundations for mental health and wellbeing, including the importance of relationships, skills for learning, neuroscience, social skills, emotional literacy, the development of empathy and the development of self.

• To help teachers/educational practitioners undertake the project there are 4 online training sessions available. These are focused on the five key areas that they will be working on with the children and young people undertaking the project. The winning schools will be able to choose 2 of the online courses to support staff deliver the project. Each course will be supported by an online coach.
• Each school will be provided with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Teachers Toolkit - 5 books full of exciting resources and photocopyable lesson plans.
• Each of the winning schools will also be supported with setting up and running the project by its founder, Alison Waterhouse, through termly (every six weeks) online coaching sessions which will last for one hour in duration.

Circles for Learning is hoping that the projects undertaken by each of the winning schools will be written up and shared with other schools in the future through articles, via social media and video clips and so any schools entering the competition will need to give permission for pictures, children's work, teachers comments and experiences to be shared.

To ensure that this can happen all competition applications have to have a signed agreement submitted with their application. The agreement needs to be signed by the Headteacher and Chair of Governors.

The winning schools will need to submit 10 photographs of a high standard each term (every 6 weeks) to Circles for Learning, for their use in articles, reports or social media to help share and promote the project.

At the end of the project all Teachers who have fulfilled the project requirements will be given a certificate to show that they have completed the online training and that they have facilitated the Circles for Learning Project for a year to add to their CPD Portfolio.