Health and Wellbeing 

Health and Wellbeing at Risca Primary School

Health and Wellbeing is at the heart of the school. Our school is a caring, supportive environment  that promotes pupils' health and wellbeing through a range of rich learning experiences and its unique provision including our Feel Good Friday Programme. ELSA . The strong care and working relationships between staff and pupils contribute strongly to pupils' health and wellbeing.

The school values all pupils with a strong pupil voice represented with our Pupil Leadership Group. The school has a caring ethos with a clear focus on creating a welcoming, positive learning environment for all children and staff.

Supporting children’s emotional wellbeing is at the heart of our school community. Our trained ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) offer dedicated, supportive sessions for pupils who may benefit from a little extra help with their emotions. These sessions are carefully tailored to help children understand and manage their feelings, develop positive coping strategies, and build confidence and resilience.

ELSA support can help with a range of needs, including anxiety, self-esteem, friendships, managing anger, and coping with loss or bereavement. Sessions take place in a calm, safe space where children feel comfortable to talk openly and know they are being listened to.

Alongside this, all staff are trained to recognise early signs of emotional difficulty and respond with kindness, understanding, and care. We are fortunate to have two dedicated ELSAs in school: Miss C Parker and Mrs S Vaughan.

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher. If you feel your child may benefit from a course of ELSA sessions, please speak to your child’s class teacher, who will be happy to discuss any concerns with you.

Click Here to read our ELSA Family Leaflet 

We believe that being active and feeling happy go hand in hand. Our pupils enjoy regular PE lessons, energetic playtimes, and a wide range of sports clubs and outdoor learning activities. We also help children develop healthy habits by teaching them about good nutrition, the importance of sleep, personal hygiene, and staying safe online as part of our health and wellbeing curriculum. 

At our school, we use the Jigsaw PSHE programme to help children develop the skills they need to feel confident, happy, and ready for life. Jigsaw supports children’s personal, social, health, and emotional development from the early years through to the end of their schooling.

Through age-appropriate lessons, children learn about their feelings, relationships, and how to look after their physical and emotional wellbeing. The programme is carefully structured so that learning builds gradually each year, helping children revisit key ideas as they grow and mature.

Jigsaw also covers all the required areas of Relationships and Health Education. Topics are taught in a sensitive and supportive way, and Sex Education is included within the “Changing Me” unit to ensure children receive clear, appropriate information at the right time in their development.

At Risca Primary School, we teach Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) to help children feel safe, respected, and confident in building healthy relationships. Our lessons are age-appropriate, inclusive, and taught in a caring and supportive way.

RSE is a required part of the Curriculum for Wales and follows Welsh Government guidance and the Equality Act 2010. We work closely with parents and carers and are always happy to discuss the curriculum or answer any questions.

Welsh Government RSE Information for Parents / Carers