Sparken Hill Academy During the Summer Term 2015

Quantitative and Qualitative Report on the Impact of ‘Take Five’ at School An analysis of the impact on a Year 6 class at Worksop Priory CE Primary School and Foundation – Year 6 at Sparken Hill Academy during the Summer Term 2015 © Each Amazing Breath CIC About this report This report was commissioned by Each Amazing Breath CIC. An independent Evaluation Consultant, Kate O’Dell, worked with Each Amazing Breath CIC and the ‘Take Five’ at School Steering Group to devise the evaluation methodology during late 2014. She then oversaw the data collection process during the Summer Term and undertook the subsequent analysis. The methodology detailed in the report, together with the data sets and analysis have been produced by Kate O’Dell. The other elements of the report such as: the headline interpretation in the executive summary, presentation of the data relating to the most ‘at risk’ students and most positive responses, the context information and the background to what happened in each school have been produced by Each Amazing Breath CIC. About Kate O’Dell Each Amazing Breath CIC commissioned Kate O’Dell as a Freelance evaluator. Kate is highly experienced at managing complex and sensitive data collection and analysis, in community settings. She has a Masters in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding and specialises in community empowerment, project management and participatory evaluation. Contents Background to this report 4 About Each Amazing Breath CIC, ‘Take Five’ and the ‘Take Five’ Steering Group 9 Executive Summary of impact – Worksop Priory CE Primary School 13 Executive Summary of impact – Sparken Hill Academy 14 Overall trends based on analysis of both schools 15 Evaluation Approach 16 On Grounding and Evaluating Resilience and Capacity 18 Section 1 – Worksop Priory CE School 21 - About ‘Take Five’ at Worksop Priory CE School 22 - Evaluation methodology used 25 - Questions 1-9 results for Year 6 27 - Summary of children’s qualitative feedback 34 - Questions 1-9 results for Year 5 – Control Group 35 - Teacher and Headteacher’s feedback 36 Section 2 – Sparken Hill Academy 38 - About ‘Take Five’ at Sparken Hill Academy 38 - Evaluation methodology used 39 - Questions 1-5 results 40 - More about impact on students most ‘at risk’ 45 - More about the shifts towards the most positive response options 47 - Summary of children’s qualitative feedback 49 - Principal’s feedback 50 Appendix 1 – Evaluation Scales used at Sparken Hill Academy 51 Appendix 2 – Evaluation Scales used at Worksop Priory CE Primary School 52 Gratitude 53 Background to this report ‘Take Five’ has grown from the ‘bottom-up’ using the insight of residents from Manton, Worksop, and Officers from a variety of disciplines who came together at a two day workshop in March 2014. A short film about this workshop can be seen via this link: https://vimeo. com/114517807 Bringing alive this vision required the proactive involvement of many organisations from a range of settings: Community Safety, Public Health, Family Support Service and, of course, Schools and Academies. The Schools and Academies All the Heads and Principals involved in the pilot played a highly valued role and we are keen to convey at the start of this report how fortunate the ‘Take Five’ Steering Group were to engage with such remarkable leaders. This report focuses on the impact on young people. However, it does not convey much detail about how, through working together, we have developed a variety of practical models to bring alive ‘Take Five’ within busy School and Academy settings. As Richard Lilley, Principal of Sparken Hill Academy states on Page 50 of this report: “The ‘theory’ behind the mindfulness aspect of ‘Take 5’ was never really in question. Eliciting change for the large number of participants (adults and children) within an organisation can however prove somewhat difficult”. Through the ‘Take Five’ pilot it has been possible to develop a number of workable models of how to achieve this, and we are hugely grateful to the Schools and Academies involved for their work and dedication in bringing this about. This report focuses on the two schools that volunteered to work with us on evaluating the impact. The evaluation process also involved considerable work and we are grateful to Sparken Hill Academy and Worksop Priory CE Primary School for the time and care they invested in the evaluation process. In particular, this evaluation process would not have been possible without Phil Abbott, Headteacher and Lesley Howard, Pastoral Care Lead, at Worksop Priory CE Primary School and Richard Lilley, Principal at Sparken Hill Academy. The Officers ‘Take Five’ at School is deliverable as a standalone initiative for a school to deliver. However, the Steering Group were also keen to pilot how ‘Take Five’ could relate to other settings; thus we also piloted ‘Take Five in the Community’, ‘Take Five at Work’ and ‘Take Five at Home’. (Evaluation of the impact outcomes in these settings is available in other reports and films). Many Officers worked with us on the integration of these initiatives within a local setting, with the aim of bringing alive social and personal outcomes related to key agendas in Nottinghamshire such as: Community Safety, ‘Preventing Demand’, ‘No Health without Mental Health’, Academic resilience, ‘Closing the Gap’, and ‘Duty to Prevent’. The Residents Creative energy started ‘Take Five’, and Manton residents were central to this. We are also grateful to BCVS and CSL for their work in helping to facilitate this. Other residents have become involved along the way, and each and every one of them has played a role in helping us to adapt to need and learn. The Funders Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood Community Safety Partnership funded the initial Each Amazing Breath pilot, and Preventing Demand (via the Home Office and Nottinghamshire Police) and Nottinghamshire County Council funded ‘Take Five at School’. We are very grateful to them. Each Amazing Breath’s contribution to all this centres on our passion to ensure that everyone, including people with significant challenges, can grow in presence and self-mastery. Through basing our approach on understanding the impact of trauma on the body and mind we aim to help each person realise themselves as fully as possible. When we are in school ‘Take Five’ helps to: Make me more connected to other people and helps me feel better. We don’t tell each other off for no reason. Stops you from talking, like in a quiet zone. If you feel like you’re going to do something naughty it helps you not to do that. Makes you connected to more people. Happy! It clears the brain from problems. Makes me feel like I’m in a brand new world. It calms you down. If you do it before sport it makes you believe in yourself. Energetic! Class feels quieter afterwards. Gets us ready for the next lesson. 5 When we are outside school ‘Take Five’ helps to: Calm me down after Scouts because it’s mayhem. When my brother teases me I do it afterwards so I don’t shout at him. Makes me feel like I’m in a brand new world. Help you feel calm and forget about your stresses. You can do it anywhere – sometimes I do it in my bedroom because my sister gets me frustrated and it helps me sort out the problem and I also use it as a ‘Negotiator’ on the bench at school. When I’ve just had a fall out with my sister or mum it helps me calm down and apologise. I use it for boxing – I calm myself down by breathing. I do it if I’ve done some sport: breathing helps to calm me down. Slowly eased my anxiety attack. When I’m a bit panicky in front of people, it helps me to be more confident in front of people to talk. ‘… a key asset to changing behaviours for the better…’ Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Chair of the Community Safety Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, which part funded ‘Take Five’, visited Take Five Ambassadors and commented: “Sometimes we all need to stop and take a deep breath before we say or do something out of character. This technique has given these young people the skill and ability to identify that moment and deal with it. It’s also given them the confidence to be able to deliver the training themselves throughout their school and has been a key asset to changing behaviours for the better, not just of the young people involved but also the adults.” 7 Endorsement – A Public Health perspective This school-based pilot project teaches the practice of simple breathing techniques of 30 seconds to 5 minutes duration to children and young people. The attention to the breath increases self-awareness, self-belief, self-confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy and it means children develop insight, are more resilient and able to respond to situations rather than react. The evaluation demonstrates that this has a positive effect on the children and their behaviours, attitudes and relationships with key people and environments in their community, supporting them both at home with their families, and in school with their teachers, peers and friends. It shows improvements in reported levels of stress, time pressure and an increased ability to cope with challenges in their lives. This reflects on increased attendance at school, an increase in focus and concentration, on their ability to learn and their academic achievement. As a Public Health Manager, I endorse this school population approach to increased mental and emotional health and wellbeing, academic achievement and reducing health inequalities in communities. Professor Sir Michael Marmot ([1]The Marmot Review’: Fair Society Healthy Lives’(2015) http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/projects/fair-society-healthy-lives-the- marmot-review) says, “Taking action to reduce inequalities in health does not require a separate health agenda, but action across the whole of society to address the underlying determinants of these inequalities.

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