Primary and nursery schools in Richmond are being given the opportunity to access a fully funded programme that has been praised by a local headteacher for having ‘transformed’ the school.
The PATHS® Programme for Schools (UK Version) is delivered by children’s charity Barnardo’s. It stands for Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies and focuses on empowering pupils and fostering skills for life.
Since it began in 2008, the PATHS® Programme led by Barnardo’s has supported 117,563 pupils in the UK, across almost 500 schools, and delivered training to 8643 teachers. In total, 29 UK regions have benefitted from the programme, including the London boroughs of Wandsworth, Richmond, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, and Tower Hamlets.
The programme covers skills such as academic engagement, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem, as well contributing to the PHSE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education) curriculum. It centres on a whole-school approach with training and support from a dedicated coach.
Several schools in Richmond have already benefitted from the programme. Angela Abrahams, Headteacher at St Mary’s C of E Primary School, said: “It has transformed our school.”
Echoed Sian Murphy, Headteacher at St Richards CE Primary School: “The PATHS® Programme can be delivered easily, with training and support from the team and coaches, which has been hugely beneficial in our journey. It provides a self-awareness of who we are, how the children are, and it helps with academic outcomes. Overall, it’s a real success for us.”
Caitlin Curry, Barnardo’s PATHS® Programme coach for the Richmond area, said: “We’re excited to offer more Richmond schools the opportunity to enrol on the PATHS® Programme and bring the existing success seen in hundreds of other schools across the UK to children’s learning and development in the borough.
“We’ve had fantastic feedback from teachers and pupils, as well as parents who continue to be impressed with how the programme enhances their children’s schools”.
Added Graeme Markwell, Senior Public Health Lead, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils: “For me, the clear benefit of the PATHS® Programme is that it is rooted in evidence. It’s shown to work, it’s a whole school approach. When we want to understand what works, we know that this is a model that does”.
For more information on how your school can benefit from the PATHS® programme, training and coaching or to order a pack from us, get in touch.
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