Does Positive Psychology Make a Difference in Schools?

Does Positive Psychology Make a Difference in Schools? Do you ever wonder if positive psychology really makes a difference in schools?   This interview with Deborah Brown, the Headteacher of Buckton Vale Primary School tells the story of her school’s journey to become recognised as a positive education school, and the impact it has had... View Article

Creating Calm When Facing Change

Creating Calm when Facing Change As the new school year begins, many pupils (and possibly a few teachers) may find themselves feeling rather nervous about the changes they face. New schools, new classes, new friends – while all of these things can be exciting and wonderful, they can also cause worry. In fact all change... View Article

Belly breathe

Belly breathe Teaching children to belly breathe is an easy way to help deal with strong emotions. Teaching young children to deal with strong emotions including anger and frustration is an important part of the work I do with schools In the Everyday Magic positive education course I show that even the littlest members of... View Article

Losing hurts – but it’s not fatal

Losing hurts – but it’s not fatal It really sucks. Whether is it the Euro final, the Wimbledon championship, or even your class race at school sports day. Let’s face it losing hurts. It really sucks. Whether is it the Euro final, the Wimbledon championship, or even your class race at school sports day, no... View Article

Why are we here?

Why are we here? What is education meant to achieve? What is education meant to achieve? It seems to me that the events of the past 12 months have given us more opportunity to look at that question than ever before. I’m not sure I’m best placed to provide the answer, but as the saying... View Article

sea during a storm with lightening

Same storm, different boats

Same storm, different boats We are not all going to feel the same way at each point. This week marks a major event in our pandemic journey with most children returning to school full time. For many, this is the first time in almost a year. That’s quite a milestone, and one we can greet... View Article

Tough leading

Tough leading There is something you can do as a leader to make things feel less daunting. Leadership at the moment is super tough. Shifting rules and regulations, heightened levels of anxiety, alert levels and lock-downs, staff isolating, remote working. We only lack four horsemen riding by to complete the apocalypse. Every day there seems... View Article

gift of self-compassion wrapped git on a table

The perfect gift for teachers

The perfect gift for teachers There is a gift that everyone working in schools deserves this year There is a gift that everyone working in schools deserves this year - but I wonder how many will take the time to welcome it or realise how much they need it.   It’s the gift of self-compassion,... View Article

Grit person climbing a mountain

When the going gets tough – get grit

When the going gets tough – get grit. Grit is one of the most important qualities we can help children develop. Grit is one of the most important qualities we can help children develop. It is the quality that will sustain them long after their schooldays are over.  Achieving dreams, not being de-railed by adversity,... View Article

Tensed girl sitting against brick wall in school corridor

Emotional First Aid

Emotional First Aid for Children For children moments of worry or frustration can escalate into a meltdown. As a Positive Psychologist I find the human brain awesome. Faster than any supercomputer in existence in terms of complex processing it is a biological wonder. It is also tricky. We are expected to operate this amazing piece... View Article

Let’s hear it for teachers

Let’s hear it for teachers On Teachers Day, I want to celebrate the hard work of teachers everywhere. I also want to let them know that Positive Education can help make things easier. Today is world Teachers Day. How appropriate at a time we appreciate them more than ever – just ask any parent who home-schooled recently.  Under normal circumstances... View Article

The surprising secret to leading in tough times

We are in a global wilderness, without a map. Leaders in organisations, are under tremendous pressure to support their teams. How can they do so successfully and safely?

note book and pencil

It’s great to be back

It’s great to be back I wondered what they would be like, having gone through such an unprecedented disruption to their lives both in and outside school. One of my highlights of the last few weeks has been to get back into the classroom. For the last five years I’ve had the privilege to teach... View Article

black board with back to school written on in chalk

Back to school essentials

Back to school essentials If your child is worried or unsure about returning to school, here are some things you can do to help them as the countdown to school begins. This year preparing your child for school means much more than buying new shoes and labelling uniform. It means preparing them for what would... View Article

Child looking lost and worried

Facing uncertainty – why children need to learn it

Facing uncertainty – why children need to learn it None of us know what the world will look like for our children. One of my favourite parts of Positive Education is teaching children to deal with VUCA environments. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. So much of our children’s lives are planned for them. Timetables, study,... View Article

Sad tired frustrated boy sitting at the table with many books and holding paper with word Help.

Working with difficult emotions

Children are likely to experience a wide range of emotions including some very uncomfortable ones. This animation takes you through the steps to help children cope with difficult feelings.

child looking in fear

Sometimes I get on my soapbox. Here’s why.

Sometimes I get on my soapbox. Here’s why. I want to share a worrying statistic with you. I want to share a worrying statistic with you. In the official ONS figures for 2017 the leading cause of death for children and young people (aged 5-19) was being struck by a motor vehicle. What do you... View Article

Performance through time travel

One of the purposes of education is to equip children with skills for life. It’s a great goal but exactly how can this be done? Positive Education has many ways to support schools in this endeavour. This video takes teachers through a step by step approach to raising performance through mental time travel.

Superpower of savouring

Savouring is an amazing superpower when it comes to increasing happiness, and perhaps more importantly helping children recover from difficult times. This animation is for both parents and teachers and takes you through the four easy steps for successful savouring.

Works like magic

Feature article for Teach Primary’s wellbeing special.

Developing resilience in children

More than ever children need resilience. This a video shows parents and teachers a simple way to help children during lockdown and beyond. We will need to be resilient to rebuild.

What is Positive Education?

In preparation for schools reopening their doors, we want to do all that we can to support both teachers and pupils. As such we have created the first in a series of free animations giving tips about using Positive Education in the classroom.

Feeling happier in 30 seconds

We are all being bombarded with information, images and advice about the current virus pandemic. It is be easy to become alarmed by what we see and hear. One of the many great things about positive psychology is that it some of its tools and techniques are more effective in difficult times

Why we already have an answer for children’s mental wellness

If all we focus on is what to do after things have already begun to go wrong, we are missing out on a huge opportunity to do more about promoting those things that can go right.

Creating Everyday Magic in School

Decades of research shows that positive education has a powerful, positive impact on pupils (and on teachers). They can improve academic performance as well as wellbeing and can easily be folded into how teachers deliver their daily lessons.

Struggling students deserve more than automatic grades

For me one of the most important aspects of teaching grit, determination and perseverance (which I believe are pivotal aspects of growth mindset) is understanding that failure does not define you.

It’s mental health awareness week – or is it?

From workplaces to schools, from social media to TV shows it seems to me we are missing something important – how we can flourish and thrive both mentally and physically.

Should we stop talking about compassion?

Fortunately, compassion is a developable trait. There is not a set amount of compassion that you are born with, and that you then use up through life. We can learn to become more compassionate. We can practice it and build it as a skill.

Finding your child’s real BFF

How many times a day does your child hear that they are stupid, useless or worthless? Would you be horrified to discover it is probably dozens of times? No matter where they are or what they are doing they will hear these things because they are spoke by the voice in their heads – their inner critic.

Wellbeing not well-doing

This series of articles exploring the truth behind the buzz about resilience concludes with a look at wellbeing.

Time to bounce back

For the third article of the series looking at the truth behind the buzz about resilience, I’m going to examine bounce back.

All about control

Feelings of control are incredibly important. During the 10 years I ran the national research project into work related stress – the 24-7 survey – we discovered something very telling about the impact of control.

Why resilience is the 4th R at school

Of course, every job has its downsides, and for a little while now one of mine has been reading about and witnessing first-hand the alarming deterioration in children’s mental health.

The truth behind the buzz

Whether in large multi-nationals, the health service, local authorities, or the charity sector it seems everyone is looking at developing a resilient organisation.

Off with the monobrow

Don’t worry, I’m not suddenly giving makeover advice, well not in the traditional sense anyway. I’d like to tell you about a recent experience that caused me to reflect on both underpants and monobrows in a new way.

Diolch yn fawr

Gratitude is wonderful. It’s brilliant. It’s a fabulous thing, and over and above the niceness of it, it is really, really good for you.

Life gets better with metta

Metta is a particular form of meditation with a long and distinguished history. By practicing metta you feel more connected to the world, more equipped to deal with adversity, mentally stronger, happier, more focused and life just feels … well better.

When you know you should, but you don’t

If you are anything like me there are lots of thing you know you ought to do, but you don’t.

An open letter to the man I saw at breakfast

You probably didn’t notice me sitting just across from your table. Seeing you made me sad, then thoughtful, and finally you inspired me to write this blog.

What really is your deepest fear?

Negative self-talk attracts a lot of … well … talk. We are cautioned against it, shown how to spot it, and given a myriad of ways to stop it.

Get a life. Especially this week.

This is national work life week in the UK. With Wednesday 24th September being go home on time day.

The latest edition of Mind Notes is live, and available here

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