Well-being and Mindfulness
Welfare and well-being have always been at the centre of what we do.
In the light of recent statistics painting a disappointing picture nationally, this page sets out the work we do to promote both welfare and well-being here at the College.
One way, which is evidence-based, of improving well-being is to practice mindfulness. The College includes introductions to mindfulness in its PSHE program and in its Fourth Form Friday activities. Everyone can benefit from mindfulness. The following resources are for those pupils who wish to pursue a more in-depth understanding and practice of mindfulness.
Online Programmes
- The Mindfulness in Schools Programme resources can be found here;
- An excellent program is run by Monash University on the FutureLearn MOOC and can be found by clicking here;
- Smiling Mind is another helpful and free resource;
- Free guided meditations can be found here and here, but these are best used in conjunction with a course.
MiSP Online Sit Together
To support schools, teachers, staff, young people, children, parents and the wider community MiSP (Mindfulness in Schools Project) will be hosting a daily drop-in online Sit Together whilst schools are closed. Each session will last around 20-30 minutes, is suitable for adult and child beginners and is completely free.
Sessions will run at the following times:
Every weekday at 11am
An extra evening session on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm
You can join each session here.
Fourth Form Mindfulness
The following resources accompany the Fourth Form introduction to mindfulness:
- Little Guide to Mindfulness booklet
- Breathing meditation (mp3)
- Bodyscan meditation (mp3)
Mental Health First Aiders
We have a number of members of staff, including all our Medical Centre staff, who are trained as Mental Health First Aiders. They are available to consult with pupils across the campus. To find out who our Mental Health First Aiders are, please click here.
Books in the Library
For those who prefer to study by reading books, there are some excellent resources in our library. These include:
- The Rough Guide to Mindfulness by Albert Tobler and Susann Herrmann. (2013) 615.8
- Mindfulness: diverse perspectives on its meanings, origins and applications edited by J. Mark G. Williams and Jon Kabat-Zinn. (2013) 294.3443
- Just access the College library catalogue and search for mindfulness.
We can also recommend:
- Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world (2011) by Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman which comes with a CD to facilitate practice. Please click here.
Bishop's Stortford College is also included in UK Boarding Schools' Leaders in Health, Well-being and Mindfulness supplement, which you can read here.