Health and Wellbeing

How we promote an Active/ Healthy lifestyle at Ysgol Y Bryn:

• Encourage our school values

• Daily Rise and School

• Sport Ambassadors

• Weekly PE session

• Extra-curricular sport clubs such as bikes and scooters/healthy snack club/sports

• Children compete in sport tournaments such as netball/ football/ rugby.

• Walk, Cycle or Scooter to school week.

• Children learn about healthy and unhealthy food/balanced diet and benefits of exercise.

• Healthy dinner school meals served.

• Posters around the school to advertise and promote healthy eating.

• Jigsaw PSD/PSE Scheme from ages 3-11

• Outdoor learning in our outdoor areas and forest school

• Practising YOGA, breathing and mindfulness 

How we promote an Active/ Healthy lifestyle at Ysgol Y Bryn:

• Health & Well-Being / Iechyd a Lles
  Health and Well-Being Curriculum – (See details in the Curriculum section above for how we integrate health and well-being throughout learning.) In summary, at Ysgol Y Bryn we offer our pupils:

• An understanding of the relationship between food and a healthy body and mind.

• A cross-curricular approach to health and well-being, integrating it into all subjects.

• Daily opportunities for physical activity through the 30×5 initiative (30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week).

• Well-planned PE activities that include health-related exercise and cross-curricular links to diet and nutrition.

• Knowledge of staying safe online by teaching e-safety and marking Safer Internet Day each year.

• Opportunities to develop Personal and Social Development skills via the Jigsaw program (a structured PSHE curriculum covering topics like “Being Me in My World,” “Celebrating Difference,” “Relationships,” “Healthy Me,” “Dreams and Goals,” and “Changing Me”). Each class has its own Jigsaw character (with Jerrie the Cat and a mindfulness chime) to practice mindfulness and breathing techniques.

• 30 x 5 – Our 30×5 initiative means all children participate in 30 minutes of physical exercise 5 times a week. These physical experiences include yoga, ball skills, circuits, adventurous games, team games, boxing, gymnastics, and creative dance. As a school, we aim to provide opportunities for all children to enjoy sports and develop a wide range of skills, enabling them to actively participate confidently in different sports. This daily exercise helps meet PE requirements for gymnastics, dance, games, athletics, and outdoor activities. Well-planned physical activities promote physical literacy and health, and we use cross-curricular opportunities to reinforce physical development and its relation to diet and nutrition.

• Healthy Schools – We are involved in Carmarthenshire’s Healthy Schools initiative. We aim to ensure our children have the correct information to keep themselves safe, healthy, and happy at school. (We encourage healthy eating, physical fitness, and mental well-being as part of this program.) Our school has achieved the Healthy Schools awards and continues to promote healthy lifestyle choices daily.

• Health and Well-Being Objectives – At Ysgol Y Bryn, we aim to promote positive mental health and well-being for our children and staff, recognizing that mental and emotional health is as important as physical health. Our objectives are:

• Increase awareness of active lifestyles and healthy eating: We educate pupils and staff on the importance of staying active and maintaining healthy eating habits.

• Promote positive mental health strategies: We implement strategies for the whole school community (children and adults) to use in daily life to support mental well-being (e.g., mindfulness, open conversations about feelings).

• Develop physical literacy and confidence: We provide opportunities for children to develop fundamental movement skills (hopping, skipping, jumping, etc.) and become lifelong confident movers. (Our “30×5” program and PE curriculum support this.)

• We integrate the school’s core values to help children build positive relationships, face difficult decisions, and learn to live independently as healthy, resilient individuals. We encourage children to:

• Have a voice and feel valued.

• Have a sense of belonging and feel safe.

• Talk openly to staff about any problems.

• Use breathing techniques and mindfulness to maintain positive mental health.

• Know that bullying is not tolerated.

• Every morning, pupils participate in a “check-in” to share how they are feeling (Years 2–6 use a digital platform called “Speakr”; Nursery–Year 1 use a feelings chart). Staff monitor these check-ins and support individuals as needed. If a pupil is facing challenges and needs more intensive support on a given day, we provide a calm, relaxed space for them to unwind and talk about their feelings (ensuring they are mentally ready for learning before returning to class). This approach helps ensure all pupils feel safe and supported.

• Sun Safe Schools – We follow the Sun Safe Schools guidelines to protect children and staff with serious nut allergies (see Nut Free School below for allergy info) [This appears to be a mistake: Sun Safe Schools is actually about sun safety, not nut allergies – the content below is correct for sun safety.] We encourage parents/carers to apply a long-lasting, high-factor sunscreen to their children and provide a hat and sunglasses during hot months. Staff educate pupils on sun safety and remind them to sit in the shade on warm days. On very hot days, we make sure children drink plenty of water and have the option to stay indoors or in cool shaded areas. If you would like further information, a copy of our Sun Safe Schools information booklet is available, and more resources can be found at skcin.org (the Skin Cancer Charity’s site).

• Protection: 

• At Ysgol Y Bryn, we take sun safety very seriously and have put in place these measures to safeguard children in hot weather:

• At the start of summer term, we send letters to parents asking each child to bring their own labeled sun cream. Parents are asked to send children in shirts that cover shoulders and to provide a sun hat.

• Children are taught how to stay safe in the sun (we share child-friendly information, e.g., a “George the Sun Superstar” story and the 5 Sun Safety Rules: “Slip on a top, Slop on suncream, Slap on a hat, Seek shade, Slide on sunglasses”).

• Parents are encouraged to apply sunscreen to their child before school each day. All labeled sun creams are stored safely in classrooms.

• Children are reminded to re-apply sun cream before going outside at lunchtime. Staff supervise and remind them as needed.

• Plenty of shade is provided during playtimes and outdoor lessons. Pupils are encouraged to use shaded areas, and they may choose to stay in a supervised classroom during lunch on very sunny days. If weather becomes extremely warm, activities are moved into the cool indoors. We will not allow children to play outside for prolonged periods in intense sun without shade.

• For outdoor events like Sports Day, each class has a gazebo for shade.

• Every child has their own water bottle (labeled), and staff ensure bottles are kept filled with water and that children drink often.

• Pupils are allowed to wear sunglasses in summer months.

• Staff serve as role models by dressing appropriately (hats, sunglasses) and applying sun cream themselves. (Note: Staff are not permitted to apply sun cream to children, so we encourage parents to teach children to apply it. In Nursery/Reception, teachers demonstrate (“mirror”) applying sun cream and children copy to ensure they are protected. In Years 1–2, outdoor “sun stations” allow children to apply sun cream under staff observation.)

For more information about Healthy Eating in Primary Schools, please visit: https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-12/healthy-eating-in-maintained-schools-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities-and-governing-bodies.pdf