A FARNHAM primary school is to launch a new course for teachers across the region in a bid to boost pupils’ mental well-being.

The St Polycarp’s Catholic Teaching School Alliance (CTSA) will start the ‘mindfulness’ programme in conjunction with Rainbow, run by local teacher and mindfulness expert, Tracey Rix.

The first event will take place in September at St Polycarp’s Catholic Primary School in Waverley Lane and teachers from throughout Surrey and Hampshire will be given the resources and lesson plans to begin teaching mindfulness in their own schools.

It comes after a recent study by one of the UK’s biggest teaching unions, NASUWT, revealed that children as young as four are suffering from mental health problems such as panic attacks, anxiety and depression.

Evidence from the union’s poll showed that 96 per cent of teachers said they had come into contact with pupils who were experiencing mental health issues. Around one in seven of those said that pupils experiencing these difficulties were aged between four and seven.

The Department for Education has pledged £1.7 billion to “improve the mental health services on offer to children and young people.” Plans include every secondary school in the country being offered mental health first aid training. There has been no specific funding set for a similar mental health scheme in primary schools.

Paula Best, teaching school lead at St Polycarps’ CTSA, said: “We are committed to promote the mental well-being of every child through our curriculum and day-to-day activities, however we also want to explore different approaches that can be used in teaching.

“We’re confident that mindfulness training will have a positive impact on pupils and will instil important skills to help them deal with difficult emotions both inside and outside of the classroom.”

The training will be led by Tracey Rix, an experienced primary school teacher and founder of Rainbow. Tracey will run the specialist workshop at St Polycarp’s for teachers across the region to train them in meditation techniques for use in class to support children’s learning on an ongoing basis.

Tracey said: “Mindfulness training gives children life-long tools to help them to manage stress and anxiety; increase their self-awareness and improve concentration and creativity.

“I have been a primary school teacher for more than 19 years and witnessed many of the benefits that meditation and mindfulness can bring. Whether it is specific techniques for children with anger and behaviour issues, focused exercises for those who struggle with ideas or coping strategies for exam stress – it really does improve the mental well-being of children.”

For further information about the training see www.stpolycarps.surrey.sch.uk/Teaching-School or Rainbow rainbow.uk.com.