Over the last couple of weeks, I have enjoyed sharing and discussing the opening chapter to Keilly Swifts’ How to Make a Better World during our Monday assemblies. The focus of this section of the book is on the individual and how each of us can make a difference by looking after ourselves and those around us.

The children have learned the phrase ‘self-care’ and have considered the fact that we cannot help others unless we ourselves are strong in body and mind. Of course, being kind also plays an important part in our wellbeing and the children showed a good understanding of the way in which being kind lifts everyone up and creates even more kindness. This week, we looked at the part our emotions play in our daily life and compared them with a picture of a roller coaster. As a part of this assembly, we learned some mindfulness techniques that I hope will prove to be useful tools when emotions threaten to get to better of us.

This focus on self-care and wellbeing links with the work going on in P4L (Preparation for Learning, Leadership and Life). For this module, we have been using the resources provided by ispace and it has been wonderful to hear the children discuss the ‘niggles’ that can get in the way of our wellbeing and how to overcome them.

Niggles are, of course, a part of life but learning how to deal with them calmly and practically is invaluable. This week, we have grappled with the unpredictability of the weather, the petrol shortage and the ongoing challenge and impact of Covid and I am very grateful to the staff and families for their understanding, patience and support when we encounter another niggle.

When the going gets tough, it is always useful to be able to fall back on memories of happy times. Last Friday’s SVPSPA Macmillan cake sale and the Prep versus Pre-Prep parents’ Football match provided a wonderfully happy and memorable time, for it reflected all that we treasure about being a part of our very special SVPS family. The atmosphere was fabulous, and I am sure I wasn’t the only one who thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the whole scene on the field. The dads clearly enjoyed fighting for the trophy on the pitch, with their children cheering them on in between mouthfuls of cake and I can’t thank the huge team of volunteers enough for both baking and selling the most amazing selection of baked goods. The fact that over £1000 was raised for such a wonderful charity is also incredibly heart-warming!

Miss Corkran, Head