Change Your Mind – A Health Education Programme for Families

The Change your mind programme

School Nurses are working in partnership with pupils from Queen Mary’s Grammar School to take a family approach to providing information and advice about a range of health and wellbeing topics. You and your child can learn about a range of topics (below). We think it is really important that parents/carers have access to up to date information so you can help your child put into practice what they are learning in school.

• Digital Detox
• Basic First Aid
• Transition to Secondary School
• Health and Development
• Relationships

Your child’s school can enroll on this programme and peer educators will deliver sessions to Year 6 pupils. The school can then opt to have parent workshops delivered by a School Nurse. We will share the information that your child is being taught and give you some tips and strategies to help your child put learning into practice.

Listen to two of the Change Your Mind peer educators talking about the programme.

How does the programme help children?

Children need to learn about how to keep themselves healthy and to look after their wellbeing. They can use the knowledge and the skills that they learn in school and at home to help them make informed choices about their health. Parents and carers are important role models. You can help your child to put into practice what they have learnt at school and set good examples so that they learn from you. We want children to grow up and make choices that mean that they enjoy the best physical and mental health that they can.

What parent/carer workshops are available?

You will be able find out about the topics that your child is being taught in school so you can talk to them about what they have learnt. The peer educators will have shared ideas with your child about how they can be healthier, happier and to stay safe. They will have asked that your child tries to put these ideas in to practice at home and in school. We want to help you to do this through providing you with up to date information on each topic, sign posting you to reputable resources and giving you tops tips to help your child put their learning into practice.

Digital Detox

Children have access to a whole on line world via the internet. They benefit in many ways such as being able to keep in touch with friends and family and to help their learning. However, there are also risks that may lead to your child been harmed or even abused on line. Our children seem to easily be able to navigate the on line world and parents/carers can often feel left behind and unsure of how these things work. Our Digital Detox workshop walks you through the use of social media and the internet. You will learn about the risks, how to reduce the risks and how you can help your child to stay safe on line.

Watch to our School Nurse webinar on Digital Detox for Parents

Helpful sources of information

• Online Safety – NSPCC Website
• Staying Safe Online – ChildLine
• Digital Safety Training for parents – KIdscape

Basic First Aid and Common Childhood Illnesses

We know that parents/carers want to keep their child safe and well. Accidents happen and children sometimes become unwell. Our workshop covers what signs to look out for when you child is not feeling well and where to get help. We give you information about how to deal with emergencies such as choking so you can feel more confident in dealing with a situation if it happens.

Watch to our School Nurse webinar Basic First Aid and Common Minor Illness for Parents

Helpful sources of information

• Paediatric First Aid – St John’s Ambulance 
• Learn First Aid for babies and children – British Red Cross
• Use the right service – Getting help from the NHS 

Health and Development

Your child will have started or soon start to go through the changes during puberty. They are growing up fast and they will start to become more independent and able to take on more responsibility.  This includes taking on responsibility of looking after their own health and wellbeing. Our health and development workshop will provide helpful tips and idea about helping your child make health lifestyles choices and managing the changes as their body and mind develop.

Watch to our School Nurse parent’s webinar about health and development

Helpful sources of information

• Change for Life – NHS
• Puberty for Girls – Childline
• Puberty for Boys = Childline
• Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Childline

Transition to Secondary School

Moving from primary school to secondary school is a big milestone in your child’s life. Children (and their parents/carers!) can have mixed feelings of excitement and of worry. Our workshop will explore some of these feelings and offer tips and strategies to support your child to be ready to move on. We will think about your child’s health and well being and how to help them become more independent as they move on to the next steps in life.

Watch to our School Nurse parents webinar about transition to secondary school

Helpful sources of information

Transition to secondary school = Place2Be

Starting secondary school  – BBC Bitesize

Relationships

Children develop relationships right from when they are born. After all, as humans we are wired to connect with others. When children grow up and start to have more freedom, away from parental supervision then they need to make choices about what is a good healthy relationship and what is not. In our parent workshop we will explore children’s relationship over time and how a parent/carer can help support their child to make healthy choices about friendships and relationships. We look at culture, diversity and bullying and how you can help your child if they are being bullied.

Watch to our School Nurse parent’s webinar about healthy relationships 

Helpful sources of information

Information about bullying – Bullying UK/Family Lives

Bullying – Young Minds

Healthy and unhealthy relationships – NSPCC