Assistant Headteacher, Alison Abbott, on what it was like to speak to the nation live on BBC Breakfast:

 

 

My mind is still full of mindfulness.

This time last week I was recovering from the national TV experience, and being on the BBC breakfast programme in Manchester was definitely an experience. The producers organised all travel and accommodation. All I had to do was be there at 7.20 am. Oh, and explain what mindfulness means to us and our students in front of 8 million viewers…

When I received the invitation to take part in a live interview on behalf of Marden I panicked; if I’m being absolutely honest with you, I tried to persuade Mr M that he should go instead. The thought of being on that red sofa was daunting to say the least, but I can honestly say, having taken part in the Marden Mindfulness initiative stood me in good stead. It worked.

For those of you who don’t already know, Mindfulness is about being self-aware, recognising emotions and reactions, and accepting them to enable you be self-assured, happier and calm. It involves short activities to train and maintain your brain to gain control and awareness of what you are thinking and feeling and why. It’s not new. The real world has recognised its benefits for some time and now education is catching up.

I’ve been asked a number of questions since the interview, including: Why do students need this? Is there really time for this in school? Does it really make a difference?

The answers are as follows:

• Students need this because they are people not just pupils.
• Marden has a long history of creating excellent people who are academically successful as pupils. This isn’t an accident.
• It’s because we recognise that teenagers are human too!
• The feelings and emotions young people experience have a huge impact on their ability to achieve their potential.

When your potential means the highest grades at GCSE are your predicted minimum then it is likely that the challenges and expectations you face will be tough. We need to make sure we match those difficult challenges and high expectations with the amount of support and personalisation required to meet them. We do this in many ways but Mindfulness seems to be very good for some of our school community.

My answer to this has been challenged by all kinds of people who are not involved in education.
One gentleman said, “They didn’t have that in my day. We just sat there and got on with it.”
He is not alone in this thinking, but times have changed and for our kids the demands of the future are ever changing.

We need to equip them with all the skills they need to have successful careers in industries which don’t even exist yet, in an economic climate which is unpredictable and frequently insecure. Most importantly, we need to inspire excitement at the prospect of this unknown, so they learn to thrive on change, through the certainty of their own abilities and desire to succeed. They will find that learning to understanding themselves is a good place to start and this is what Mindfulness does.

There is time for this in school because at Marden there is always time to develop the whole person. That’s why we have one hour a week dedicated to it. It’s also why we reflect together every day at the same time and why we celebrate the things which make us unique, as well as mould the curriculum to suit it. It’s why we are there.

Mindfulness is just a small part of this. We also have coaching, Secondary SEAL, lessons about happiness, relationships, learning to learn, and much, much more. The value in it makes the time spent on it invaluable. Which leads me to the last question.

Does it work? Well, if you are measuring the success on GCSE attainment and achievement then the results will speak for themselves, but I can say that the students who have taken part have evaluated the programme in detail.

For some, the programme is a seed that will continue to grow in the future.

For others there has been a definite impact and I’ve seen and heard it. FOFBOC’s before exams and 7/11’s outside of oral tests, .B’s during half term and mindful moments in corridors make it clear to see that the programme is giving our students a way to cope with the challenges of real life.
The students themselves say the are happier, can sleep better, are more aware of how they are feeling and are kinder to themselves.

For us this, more than any thing else, means it is a success and something we will continue to develop.
It has also caught the attention of other schools so watch this space for more information.