Lunchtime Leaders Toolkit

This video explores the benefits of Physical Activity on wellbeing, how staff can encourage children to move more, the benefits of play and how it improves social interaction, resolves conflict etc. Structured and free play, playground zoning and playleaders.

This video gives a brief overview of the Positive Playtime Experiences staff training and shares a snippet of one of the key themes –supporting lunchtime supervisors with positive behaviour strategies.

This video shares the journey of an Essex school and how they have adopted the TPP values and the impact it’s had on the school community.  It includes impact on staff wellbeing, reflection on changes in behaviour management on the playground, how language has changed, how they have used the iceberg model and what it looks like on the playground; co-regulation, self- regulation and aspirations/hopes for the future.

• Introduction
• Compassion and Kindness – using compassion and kindness to understand behaviour on the playground, reframing misbehaviour to stress behaviour
• Connection and belonging – supporting children to form and maintain positive relationships, creating a sense of connection and belonging in the playground by listening to the child, understanding what they are telling us is important to them and providing hope and optimism about their friendships.
• Dining hall experience – how lunchtimes can be overwhelming at times, how to improve the dining hall experience.
• From lunchtime back to learning – ways to get children back into learning mode, tips to regulate children after playtime.
• Importance of play – benefits of playing outside, different forms of play.
• Respecting each other – building positive relationships through engaging directly with children in the playground and encouraging positive interactions.
• Sensory differences on the playground – difference between hyper and hyposensitive, sensory experiences and how they fill the emotional cup, how children may behave and how supporting adults can help.
• Signposting – outlines sources of support and self-care.
• Zones of regulation (ZOR) intro – what they are and the categories.
• ZOR Blue – how children may feel in this zone, what you might notice about them, how we can help them manage their feelings and behaviours, language ideas and strategies that may help.
• ZOR Yellow – how children may feel in this zone, what you might notice about them, how we can help them manage their feelings and behaviours, language ideas and strategies that may help.
• ZOR Red – how children may feel in this zone, what you might notice about them, how we can help them manage their feelings and behaviours, language ideas and strategies that may help.

This two-hour free training is for any member of your school community that supports lunchtimes, whether that be on the playground, in the dining hall or when returning to learning.  The training supports a whole school approach to creating a positive lunchtime experience for children, young people and staff and it aligns with both the TPP Programme and PINS (Essex Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools service).

Key aims:

To explore the importance of play

To promote positive and effective lunchtimes.

To support lunchtime staff with positive behaviour strategies.

To establish zones within the playground

To introduce playground leaders to create positive play experiences in the playground

To share strategies to create a calm dining hall.

To develop a repertoire of games that build social, emotional and relationship skills.

The Healthy Schools team are available to support schools with embedding any element of the Lunchtime Leaders toolkit and deliver the Positive Playtimes Training to relevant staff in your setting.

It may be that your school community could benefit from support with embedding restorative language or support to help children and young people manage their feelings and emotions.

If you would like to find out more, please contact us here: healthyschools@barnardos.org.uk