Mindfulness in Education Resources
General information on Mindfulness in Education
Developed in collaboration with Welsh Government and education staff from all sectors in 2019, sets out some useful guidelines for developing a strategic mindfulness journey in the context of Welsh policy.
Implementing mindfulness in schools: an evidence-based guide
Developed by Professor Katherine Weare and Adrian Bethune as part of the Mindfulness Initiative and sets out the evidence base, good practice and ways forward in a UK wide context.
Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) – Wales*
These Wales-specific information pages are growing as more examples and information become available. MiSP is committed to creating bilingual resources as these develop.
The Present offers a new and less formal introduction to mindfulness with programmes for adults and learners in education and for the wider community.
Mindfulness for Adults
These courses are for participants’ personal wellbeing and mindfulness experience. Mindful staff can make a significant contribution to a mindful classroom or school but these programmes don’t enable them to teach mindfulness to others. All the courses listed here are accepted as part of the criteria for further training to teach one of the high quality learners’ programmes listed below.
Mindfulness in Schools Project Programmes*
.begin (dot begin) is an online 8 week course based on the popular book Finding Peace in a Frantic World. .b Foundations is the in-person equivalent
Living in The Present * 8 week course focuses on supporting friendly, mindful awareness towards our experience in the midst of our everyday lives.
Mindfulness for Education Leaders* is endorsed by the National Academy for Education Leadership in Wales for Headteachers and other senior leaders. It provides an opportunity to experience mindfulness in the specific context of leadership roles as well as wider life.
Other courses for adults which meet the criteria for education staff to be able to progress to further training to teach learners are available from various providers and include:
.b Foundations/.begin*
Living in the Present*
Finding Peace in a Frantic World
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction*
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness for Life
Curriculum provision (see https://mindfulness-wales.org/2020/10/30/mindfulness-in-education-toolkit-for-wales where we’ll be adding ongoing examples of these programmes in practice)
In developing the Mindfulness Toolkit for Wales we made a differentiation between mindful activities and a mindfulness curriculum, using the analogy that if you give someone a fish you feed them for a day, but if you teach them to fish you feed them for life. We have identified the high quality mindfulness programmes which would properly support the new curriculum and which most closely meet the success criteria identified by Estyn in their report: Healthy and happy – school impact on pupils’ health and wellbeing
Curriculum provision for primary schools which would support the Curriculum for Wales and introduce mindfulness in age appropriate and interesting ways:
Dots* A fun-filled mindfulness curriculum introducing mindfulness experiences and concepts for learners aged 3-6
Paws b* A mindfulness curriculum suitable for 7-11 year olds, either to introduce mindfulness of follow on from Dots
The Present for Schools* A mindfulness curriculum providing progression from 3-12 year olds providing opportunities to use everyday experiences.
The Youth Mindfulness Kids Programme Introduces mindfulness to 7-11 year olds.
Curriculum provision for secondary schools:
.b (dot b)*A curriculum to introduce mindfulness to 11-18 year olds or to follow up Paws b.
The Present Peer Project* is a new more informal approach for 14-19 year olds.
The SOMA programme takes a flexible and responsive approach to introduce mindfulness to meet the needs of different groups.
*Available in Welsh (or in progress)