MINDFULNESS IMPROVES CHILD WELLBEING ACCORDING TO NEW BRITISH RESEARCH

Research released recently by the University of Exeter shows that a schools-based mindfulness program can aid pupils' wellbeing, with a reduction in stress still being reported 3 months after the program's completion.

The key findings from the research are as follows:

 

·         children who participated in the mindfulness in schools program reported fewer depressive systems after treatment, and also 3 months after completion of the program;

 

·         children reported lower stress and greater well-being 3 months after completion of the program;

 

·         the degree to which students practised mindfulness skills was associated with better well-being and lower stress.

 

Bright Futures Educational Trust provided a number of students from Altrincham GrammarSchool for Girls (AGGS) to form part of the sample group for the research.

The Mindfulness in Schools program, known as .b [pronounced dot-be, which stands for ‘Stop, Breathe and Be!’], gives students mindfulness as a life skill. Endorsed by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes, the program helps students to feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled, get on better with others, concentrate and learn better, and cope with stress and anxiety.

 

Associate Principal of the Bright Futures Educational Trust, Amanda Bailey [pictured left], says:

 

Bright Futures Educational Trust is committed to innovation in improving pupil attainment, and that's why some of our students were involved in this piece of research.

 

Mindfulness teaches students how their minds work to improve concentration, manage exams effectively and help them see life more clearly through calmer modes of mind.

Mindfulness is already benefiting some of our pupils, and given the strong results of this research we will be giving students at all our schools the opportunity to try Mindfulness for themselves.

For more information about mindfulness and the results of the study, visit the site of the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), which is a non-profit organisation teaching secular mindfulness to pupils, teachers and parents using the .b courses.

 

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