ReSET
Welcome to the ReSET minisite!
We've created this site to support schools as they consider the emotional health and wellbeing of the children in their care.
Link to government policy
Schools have long known the need for work to support pupils' emotional health and wellbeing but this has recently been reinforced in the white papers on education and health, published in November 2010. The Government’s approach to promoting health and wellbeing includes strengthening self-esteem, confidence and personal responsibility: "Good schools will be active promoters of health in childhood and adolescence, because healthy children with high self-esteem learn and behave better at school…", Healthy lives, healthy people, section 3.16, November 2010.
Complementing and supporting SEAL
Our aim is to complement and support SEAL, which has been hugely popular in schools, and to provide teachers with ideas and materials to develop children’s self-esteem, resilience and awareness of emotions.
Impact on learning and achievement
The impact of emotional wellbeing on learning and achievement is well documented. Its real value extends beyond SAT levels, teaching pupils basic life-skills that will equip them with coping strategies for the future and for whatever it has in store.
Schools play a key role in supporting children
"National research suggests that one in ten children will have a diagnosable mental health condition before they are 16", Cornwall Council's focus paper on children and young people's mental health. The risks of developing a mental disorder are directly related to a child’s life experiences: "Children who experience three or more stressful life events, such as family bereavement, divorce or serious illness, are significantly more likely to develop emotional and behavioural disorders" according to research published by the ONS. Schools can play a key role in supporting children through such events.
Healthy Schools Plus
The information and resources in this toolkit form an ideal basis for a Healthy Schools Plus project on emotional health and wellbeing and include suitable assessment tools that give you the valuable evidence of the impact of your work that you need for your reporting, read more about Plan, Do, Review for Healthy Schools Plus.
Our ReSET resources
We've been working to develop some resources around emotional health and wellbeing and we now have three, all of which have been trialled in schools with very positive feedback, are proving popular and are available for loan to schools in Cornwall, contact us if you are interested. Please note that the resources available at present are designed for use in primary schools.
Links to more information about the resources
Whole-school focussed day on emotional health and wellbeing
Additional supporting materials
We can also lend additional supporting materials including posters, cards and story books. If you are interested, contact us.
The Health Promotions Information and Resource Centre also has materials which support any of the three Primary ReSET resources and which you can loan. You can register with them online or contact them on 01209 313218 for more information.
Jane Dewsnap, of Newquay Junior Academy used ReSET to support her planned short course to develop the children's sense of wellbeing and self-esteem as part of their Academy afternoon curriculum. Jane borrowed the Primary Emotional Wellbeing Box from the Health Promotion Library and found it really helpful, deciding to buy some of the materials for future use.
Afterwards she reported that: “The children really enjoyed the Emotion Stones cards - we used them to stimulate discussion about friendships and then the children had to design their own stones with qualities that they think they possess as a friend.”
Dr Robin Banerjee's sociograms
We're looking into the use of these to support Healthy Schools Plus, read more.
