PUPILS at St Paul’s Primary School have received wellbeing boxes filled with ideas and objects to see them through the summer.
The boxes, which are tailored to the specific needs of each year group, contain a variety of art supplies, a white board and educational games. Older children have received items such as calculators and primary seven pupils received items which will help them in their transition to post-primary, such as scientific calculators.
Principal Sean McNamee described how the idea for the boxes came about: “Our Education Welfare Officer called in to see a couple of the children and she discussed that the Education Authority had funded some boxes to try and encourage a better connection with school.
“When we saw them we thought that they would be a great wellbeing resource because they looked at physical health and emotional health and they also looked at physical activity and also other activities that would increase pupil wellbeing and positive attitudes towards school."
Mr McNamee added children of all ages and abilities are in need of targeted support.
“We thought that if it is good enough for the children who have additional needs, what about those who are not displaying any additional needs?" he said. "Everybody is suffering from Covid fatigue at the moment and it's a drain on wellbeing.
“We resourced the boxes from our own school budget and give them out to every child, from nursery through to P7.
“It may take a number of years of doing this before we can get beneath the wellbeing difficulties that are likely to come and the mental health issues that might develop over time.
“Covid has been such a prominent thing over the last two academic years and that is what drove us this time. I hope we will never need to do this again but I do realise that it might take us a few years to get over the challenges that Covid has presented.”
Martin Short from the CCMS is enthusiastic about the initiative.
“Wellbeing is very important within society and promoting wellbeing within the school is promoting lifelong learning as well” he said.
“I have always said that if children are happy and they are safe then they will learn. This school is the epitome of promoting wellbeing within West Belfast and I congratulate them on this initiative.”
