Mindfulness in Schools

[28.01.10]

Tonbridge Professional Development has announced that the first national conference in the UK on Mindfulness in Schools will be held at Tonbridge School on March 11^th, 2010.

The conference, organized in conjunction with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre (http://www.oxfordmindfulness.org/), The Well-being Institute of Cambridge University (http://www.cambridgewellbeing.org/) and the Mindfulness in Schools Project, will present work that has so far taken place to develop and research a Mindfulness curriculum for use in UK schools.

Mindfulness originated in Eastern meditation traditions, such as Buddhism, but is now an established secular discipline. A growing body of research supports wider use of the approach to address transient stress and deeper mental health problems and NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) has recommended that it be offered on the NHS to patients suffering from depression.

Interest has been growing in the implications of using mindfulness in schools and Tonbridge School has recently piloted a mindfulness based PSHE curriculum with 14 and 15 year olds. It is argued that the benefits of mindfulness for students range from improved concentration and increased focus to, through becoming aware of negative mindsets, improved mental health.

For more information on mindfulness in schools see: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6984113.ece

If you are interested in attending the Mindfulness in Schools Conference, application forms can be downloaded from http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/tpd/ or for more information, email: ejd@tonbridge-school.org

James Robson 28/01/10