Innovation of the Year 2020
The year 6 relaxation programme was developed by School Nursing Assistants was the Innovation of the Year in 2020. The programme teaches mindfulness and relaxation techniques to children aged 10 or 11, developed following surveys with pupils which highlighted high levels of anxiety.
The session aids 10 – 11 year olds to explore some mindfulness and relaxation techniques and helps them to recognise why it is important to allow their body and mind to relax. It includes physical stretches and ways to release tension in our bodies and a beautiful relaxation story at the end.
The session takes an hour to deliver making it sustainable to offer the session to all primary schools across the city. The School Nurse Assistants deliver the session to the year 6 pupils and leave behind resources for their teachers to enable them to continue doing small relaxation activities for the rest of the academic year.
Following the initial piloting of this innovation, the session was offered city wide from last year and has been in high demand since. Due to the current Covid-19 measures the team has now commenced sessions via Microsoft teams, delivering to children that remain in school through the pandemic. The feedback from teachers and pupils has been fantastic and the session’s popularity and target audience continues to grow with the increasing demand.
The programme was developed following feedback from a citywide questionnaire with primary school children. The data from these questionnaires is then used to complete a true and accurate health profile for each school, as well as allowing the School Nurse to identify any individual physical or emotional health needs and introduce new support.
Other examples of good practice highlighted included:
- Active Kids, which is a new, fun exercise session at Moat House Leisure Centre for children which also teaches simple healthy lifestyle messages
- The Hepatitis C Test and Treat roadshow which helped some of our most vulnerable people be tested and receive treatment for this virus quickly, simply and on their own terms
- A new group called 'Together We Can' which offers assessment and play experiences for young children with developmental delay and is a collaboration between health visitors and the SEND team.
- The IRIS project which trains primary care practitioners to better understand domestic abuse, respond safely to victims and refer to support. In the project's first year staff from 25 GP practices were trained and then referred more than 90 victims to specialist support
Are you doing things a little differently? Have you had a creative idea that has been adopted by your service? Has your innovation had a positive impact on people who use your service or other Coventry citizens? If so the Innovation of the Year award could be yours. Nomination yourself, you have to be in it to win it…..
