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Camestone School Kempston

Emma Wilson

Deputy Head Teacher

Camestone School

Jowitt Avenue, Kempston, Bedford

Even before the events of 2020 that have changed all our lives, Camestone recognised the benefits of universal work on mental well-being. We started Making Me in January 2020 and our staff could immediately see how it would support children and have a positive impact on their resilience. It was vital to us to involve every member of staff who might have contact with children so the site manager, lunchtime supervisors and office staff were all included in training. Making Me quickly took off and, despite the disruption of lockdown, has been successfully reintroduced this academic year.

The programme is simple, clear, well-planned and flexible. All the resources are provided and preparation is minimal.

The training engages staff in considering the way the brain responds to emotional stress and how children can be supported to cope. Several said it was the best training they had had. The parent workshop was better attended than any other we have run and much enjoyed. Those responses speak for themselves.

I think my personal favourite thing about Making Me is the focus on resilience, talking about how we can allow challenges to ‘bounce off’. It puts children in control of their responses.

The impact on children at Camestone is already apparent through comments from the whole school community. Making Me gives us a language for expressing difficulties and tools for helping but can be adopted easily, anywhere. It will continue to be embedded in our practice and to contribute to the well-being of all our children (and adults!).”