Wellbeing Day 2021

A reflection on the recent Sibford Wellbeing Day.

Having asked our staff and pupils to work online on their academic work for two full lockdowns, we decided to have a go at organising a remote Wellbeing Day in order to prioritise the wellbeing of our community: staff, pupils and parents, who have all worked incredibly hard over the past few months.

We felt that spirits were running low and it was time to inject a little spark of magic into what had become the humdrum daily existence for many.

We designed a full complement of activities under the three headings of #BeCreative, #BeActive and #BeConnected and arranged a Pick and Mix section all advertised in a brochure. We offered a huge range of activities ranging from ipad art, strava challenges, lambing to clay bunny making; we had a whole day of cooking from in school beamed out to over 65 families. In total we offered 33 online sessions and offered ideas for further activities via our ‘Pick and Mix’ page. We kept an academic thread going via the ‘publess quiz’ and reading clubs and we were privileged to have the RFU and Ryder Cup Nutritionist , Graeme Close, give a talk to pupils on ‘feeding elite athletes’.

The day was genuinely a huge success and it was fantastic seeing lively activity on screens filled with parents and pupils all enjoying themselves together. The weather was kind so lots of families were able to engage in our selection of outdoor activities. The selection was so huge that it left pupils wanting more and many of them continued into the weekend with the activities they hadn’t completed! We have been asked if we can do it every year but hopefully without a further lockdown!

Parents wrote in to tell us that there had been a ‘palpable lift’ in spirits in the home; that they had gelled as a family again and most importantly, that people felt happy for the first time in a not inconsiderable period. Despite being trapped in the house for months, families acknowledged that they hadn’t been able to spend good quality family time together doing fun things and this day helped to facilitate that. Many of our families spent time present and connected which is not always easy with learning and working on a screen all day long and it helped to send a little bit of our Sibford family spirit into homes.

Tracy Knowles

Assistant Head Pastoral

Below are just some of the images from the day:

Flickr album: Wellbeing Day 2021 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin