Pupils Voice & Wellbeing
Encouraging Children To Be Happy & Successful
Wellbeing is at the heart of our school vision. We are incredibly proud of our exceptional staff who have helped to build a glowing reputation and provide ongoing commitment to creating conditions where all pupils can thrive in the range of learning environments that we happily provide.
We understand pupils will learn best when they feel safe and secure.
Rosie Our Chocolate Sprocker 🐾 🐶 🐾 🐕 🐾
Rosie was introduced to school in the Autumn term of 2019. She was born on the 25th July 2019, a chocolate Sprocker in training to become our very own school wellbeing dog and set to become an integral part of our community. Pupils have already benefited educationally and emotionally, increasing their understanding of responsibility and developing empathy and nurturing skills through contact with Rosie. In addition to these benefits, pupils take great enjoyment from interaction with her.
By having Rosie in school, we want to encourage those pupils specifically who are vulnerable, or those who are less confident with learning to have a friendly audience and to look forward to a challenge. Having Rosie in school every day has encouraged pupils with anxiety to come to school. Rosie is gentle and loving, offering children opportunities to improve social development skills, unconditional acceptance and the chance to do something really well. For some pupils, Rosie is and will be a special friend, helping them to build self-esteem, relax and have fun. For others, time spent with Rosie has been a reward or a calming distraction.
More information about Rosie, and the benefits of wellbeing dogs can be found in our prospectus.
Birthdays 🎈🥳 🎂 🎁 🥳 🎈
Birthdays are a special day and children can celebrate in school by wearing their own choice of clothes into school for the day!
If a birthday falls over the weekend or in a school holiday then children can choose to wear their ‘own clothes’ the nearest day before or after their birthday.
Speakr 😃 😢 😡 🤔 😴 😁 🥺 😬
Speakr is an online wellbeing tool we use in school that allows children the opportunity to tell staff how they are feeling and what is on their mind.
The system allows the pupil to click an emoji, expressing to staff that they are happy, sad, excited, worried, etc, giving a reason for this if they wish. They also have the opportunity to send a message to any member of staff and tell them anything that is causing them to worry, or something that makes them happy! This has been immensely effective at our school and is something our pupils feel very strongly about using.
Y Cwtch – The Nuture Base
Llandeilo Primary School is extremely fortunate to be able to provide its very own Nurture base facility, which we fondly name ‘Y Cwtch’.
We created this special, inclusive ‘base’ especially for pupils that are identified as needing ‘short-term’ support in terms of their social, emotional or behavioural development, or indeed, if they just need that little bit of extra attention or security for a short while.
Mrs Williams, a highly experienced and nurturing practitioner, leads this small-group provision ‘Y Cwtch’. Children who attend usually do so for half-days for two terms according to their needs, allowing them to remain an active member of their class for the remainder of the school day. They typically return to full-time class after two terms.
Our ‘Cwtch’ is designed to be a ‘home-from-home’; a calming safe space, a warm and cosy room consisting of neutral colours, sofa, dining table, kitchen area, homely pictures and lots of resources and equipment that can provide comfort to children who may be experiencing heightened emotions.
In this welcoming environment, we encourage the development of social and emotional trust in adults. We work to develop skills of self-discipline, independence and build self-esteem and respect. There is a huge emphasis on language and communication. Nothing is taken for granted and everything is explained, supported by role-modelling and demonstration.
In this ‘homely’ setting, Mrs Williams will settle down for chats around the table and involve the pupils in the cooking and sharing of food. They also prepare food every Wednesday for the staff. This gives them first-hand experiences of peeling potatoes and chopping onions!
Games will be played to develop turn-taking and sharing skills, circle-times will encourage discussion and empathy around feelings, boundaries and rules will be explored to help establish a greater understanding of positive behaviours and interactions with others. Children’s voices are listened to. On ‘graduating’ from ‘Y Cwtch’, we have seen pupils leaving with greater levels of self-confidence, they are more focused, have improved behaviour and better responsiveness to others.
UNCRC Rights of the Child
We are a Silver Award Rights Respecting School. The award is granted by Unicef UK to schools that show good progress towards embedding children’s rights in the school’s policy, practice and ethos.
Pupils and the school community learn about children’s rights, putting them into practice every day. It is not just about what children do but also, importantly, what adults do. In Rights Respecting Schools children’s rights are promoted and realised, adults and children work towards this goal together.
We have a specific rights respecting school council called the Rights Knights. Their role is to promote knowledge and understanding of the rights within the school and the community, and ensure that pupils feel their rights are respected, as well as respecting the rights of others around them.
Restorative Practice
We believe that for children to be ready to learn, they must firstly feel happy and secure. Restorative Practice is a whole school approach and all staff have wholeheartedly made it part of their everyday practice.
Using restorative questions can resolve conflicts and encourage everyone to think about their feelings and those of others. They also encourage everyone to discuss what should happen next. A restorative circle usually results in children discussing what has happened, admitting any wrongdoing, sharing feelings and thinking of ideas to move forward. It is an important process for both the wrongdoer and the victim. They both have their voices heard and are part of the process of resolving the problem.
PausePoints
PausePoints is a 3-minute class-based yoga session, carried out at numerous points during the day.
This ‘pause’ enables the whole class to improve their mood, calm themselves and focus on their next lesson. Yoga has been shown to improve health, well-being and educational attainment, as well as embedding emotional regulation skills, helping children improve their own well-being.
Inquiry Based Learning
Active planning input from the pupils is integral to Inquiry Based Learning; we want the children to feel that they are able to drive part of their learning journey. This is essential to ensure that the curriculum meets the ongoing varied needs and interests. Pupil voice is used throughout units of work, to steer learning by asking children to pose questions that they want to know more about. Teachers refer to children’s questions throughout the unit of work so that children can see that their contributions are valued, and their questions drive their learning.
School Councils
Pupils are encouraged to apply for a place on one of the many different school councils available at Llandeilo Primary School.
All councils are democratically elected, and they meet fortnightly to discuss agendas put forward from the pupils. The school councils include children from Year 1 to Year 6. Pupils are involved in establishing the purpose and objective of each school council.
Rights Knights and Wellbeing Council
⭐️ Promote the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
⭐️ Ensure all pupils are aware of their rights.
⭐️ Ensure children are able to access their rights at school.
⭐️ Ensure sure our rights are respected.
⭐️ Make our voices heard when we feel our rights are not being met.
⭐️ Try to raise awareness that children in this country and around the world are not accessing their rights and try to help with fundraising activities.
⭐️ Improve the wellbeing of the pupils in the school.
Digital Leaders
⭐️ Support staff and pupils to use digital equipment in class.
⭐️ Raise awareness of E-Safety issues around the school for pupils and staff.
⭐️ Learn, use and apply new digital literacy skills.
⭐️ Help run ICT clubs in school.
⭐️ Be enthusiastic about digital learning.
Sports Ambassadors
⭐️ Raise the profile of sport in school.
⭐️ Increase participation of PE and sport, inside and outside of school.
⭐️ Raise awareness of the importance of being active.
⭐️ Encourage everyone to lead a healthy lifestyle.
⭐️ Act as role models for the rest of the school.
⭐️ Deliver sporting news to the rest of the school during assemblies.
⭐️ Listen to pupils’ views/needs and provide opportunities for new sporting experiences.
Criw Cymraeg
⭐️ Promote a strong Welsh ethos in and around our school.
⭐️ To provide a range of enriching activities that enable all pupils to enjoy learning the Welsh language.
⭐️ Promote the use of the Welsh language on the yard along with playing familiar games using the Welsh language.
⭐️ Promote the Welsh language at every opportunity through ‘special Welsh days’ including ‘Diwrnod Dewi Sant’ and ‘Diwrnod Shwmae, Su’mae’ along with taking part in Urdd competitions.
Eco Council
⭐️ Raise awareness of how we can reduce, refill, reuse and recycle and Ysgol Gynradd Llandeilo.
⭐️ Contribute to creating a school environment that is ecologically sustainable.
⭐️ Promote our Eco Code.
⭐️ Provide an inclusive, structured, forum for creating positive change in our school.
⭐️ Opportunities to engage with the core principles of being environmentally friendly.
Teaching and Learning Council
⭐️ Support each other to be the best that we can be.
⭐️ Continue to develop our school learning environment.
⭐️ Continue to support our teachers in developing Teaching and Learning provision, pedagogy and standards across the school.
⭐️ Raise awareness for all about the New Curriculum for Wales.
⭐️ Support the development of our learning behaviours.
Criw Creadigol
⭐️ Promote the expressive arts as a powerful and unique art form that can influence the way we feel, think and act.
⭐️ Share the importance of the expressive arts and their benefits (art, music, dance and drama).
⭐️ Encourage children to develop their creative appreciation, talent and their artistic and performance skills.
⭐️ Provide opportunities to explore creative thinking and communicate ideas imaginatively.
⭐️ Come up with innovative ways in which we can make our lessons more creative and engaging.
Mini PTA
⭐️ To raise money for our school, so we may take pride and respect in what we have.
⭐️ Develop our entrepreneurial skills, so we may learn life skills.
⭐️ Build self-confidence, so we can be the best that we can be.