Childrens Wellbeing.

Counselling

There are three counsellors who work throughout the school. They are based in the Blue Building. Depending on the circumstances, a counsellor may work in the classroom with a group of children on an issue, e.g. friendships or they may have one-to-one sessions with individual children. Parents are kept fully informed if their child needs support from one of the counsellors.

Nurse

Our full-time First Aid nurse, Lorraine, deals with injuries or illnesses which occur during the day. Please do not bring sick or injured children to school and expect the nurse to look after them. Children who are unwell should, of course, be kept at home or, if necessary, taken to the family doctor.
One of the nurse’s many duties is to carry out regular nit or head lice inspections. As you probably know, this is a national problem and primary-aged children are particularly vulnerable. It would be very useful if parents could help in the following ways:
- Every week, during a hair-washing session, check each child in the family for nits.
- If eggs or live lice are found in the hair, please carry out the recommended treatment immediately. If you need advice on treatment without use of chemicals please see the nurse who has leaflets to help you.

Pupils’ Council

There has been a Pupils’ Council in Middle and Upper School for many years. This year we introduced the concept to Lower School and we now have our own. Children from Years 3-6 meet each week to discuss Lower School issues and make suggestions for improving and developing life in the Lower School. Year 6 children represent the Lower School on the Middle and Upper School Pupils’ Council. There are also 6th form representatives on Council, the governing body of the school.

Play

Play is an essential part of life for any Lower School child. We feel here, that as much as possible, childhood should be able to flourish in a school setting. Therefore the amount of time children play and the opportunities within that time are very important. There are three play sessions each day. A half hour in the middle of the morning, at least half an hour at lunch time and a quarter of an hour in mid afternoon.
The Ivy Wood children have a wealth of places to play and a wide range of play equipment, including a large sandpit, tricycles, a beautiful Gypsy caravan and numerous climbing frames which help to develop co-ordination and balance. In addition, we have a muddy area for digging! In Manor Wood, the Year 2 children remain in their special playground for the first two terms and they are given the run of the field and other play spaces in the Summer Term. The rest of the Lower School enjoy all of the field, the woods where camps can be built and various climbing frames. The large tree house is for Middle and Upper School students only. Children can also remain in their classrooms to sit and chat or read. All playtimes are carefully supervised but children are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and to appreciate the spaces they have for play.