Mindfulness in education
Catherine has taught mindfulness (and drama) in a variety of Surrey schools for many years, and she has worked with children of all ages. She has enjoyed teaching the MiSP 'Dot be' and 'Dot breathe' courses to 11-18 year olds since 2017, and has also taught KS2, and led workshops for parents and children together. Mindfulness can help create a calm classroom, appreciated by students as well as teachers. For information about our exciting holiday courses for teens and younger children, in Dorking, Surrey, please visit the Happier Families page.
Mindfulness in schools
Our youth mindfulness programmes can be delivered in various ways. We offer single workshops or longer courses designed to fit your term dates, lesson times and any particular issue you would like us to focus on. Catherine has an enhanced DBS certificate but we expect a member of staff to be present during sessions.
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Meditation for children and teens
We offer courses and workshops for KS2-5, based on the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) courses. We enjoy teaching mindfulness through drama or craft activities if this would suit your students.
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Online
​All our classes can be taught as live, online sessions; Catherine taught weekly mindfulness lessons to teens throughout the Covid Lockdown. During this time, students appreciated learning mindfulness techniques to help with strong emotions, over thinking, sleep difficulties, and to relax.
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Stress reduction for staff
Teachers sometimes want to learn ways to deal with stress, or simply a chance to relax. We can offer different types of session according to preferences. Catherine's experience in mainstream and special education means she understands the challenges faced by those who work in schools. Mindfulness meditation can make a difference to staff's professional and personal lives, and training can be run as part of a CPD day or as twilight sessions.
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Costs are negotiable; from £90/hour, £450/day
“We're so lucky to have this available to us in our working day. I find it truly relaxing and a pause button on the pressures of life. Catherine guides you through the experience with such skill and expertise, you leave floating”. Head of Operations, Woldingham School
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MiSP
Mindfulness in Schools Project
'Dot Be' for Surrey secondary schools
The MiSP 'Dot Be' (.b) course takes between six and ten sessions, lasting around an hour each. It is for 11-18 year olds and we adapt our teaching according to the age of the students. In 2017 Catherine trained with MiSP and started teaching Dot Be to students at Woldingham School, Surrey, where it has been part of the curriculum ever since.
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Mindfulness lessons include:
- Animations and short exercises to relieve stress and anxiety
- Developing concentration
- Dealing with difficult thoughts and emotions
- Appreciating the good in our lives
- Self compassion towards ourselves and others.
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Mindfulness can help young people deal with bullying, exam pressure, sleep difficulties, anxiety and depression. At a time when young people are facing many challenges, it's more important than ever that they have a toolbox of strategies to call upon. Mindfulness in schools offers exactly this.
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'Dot Be' stands for ‘stop and be’
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'Dot Breathe' - for 9-14 year-olds
The MiSP 'Dot Breathe' programme consists of 4 sessions, around 30 minutes each. We also run this course with drama lessons that complement the themes of the mindfulness teaching, to enhance the learning in a fun, practical way.
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'Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme' - Skills training
Mindfulness meditation training can count as a skill for DofE, for Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. We design courses to suit whichever award a student is taking, to fit the required time length. This could be a combination of Introduction to Mindfulness and Dot Be courses.
We offer DofE training as live, online sessions to students throughout the UK, and in-person in Brockham and Dorking, Surrey. People can learn mindfulness skills far more effectively through participating in live sessions compared to following recorded classes on one's own.
The cost varies according to which sessions you are taking. We are applying for funding to enable us to offer DofE skills training for free to Surrey residents from families on low incomes. Please get in touch to discuss a mindfulness meditation course as your DofE Skill, to chat about its benefits and the price.
Find out more about the MiSP programmes and research evidence to support the benefits of mindfulness in education.
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Feedback from teachers and students about our mindfulness in schools
“The sessions provide a moment of calm and reflection during a hectic day. I do actually think they help me get through Monday. You also seem like a reflective and responsive teacher.” - SEND teacher
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“It's nice to have time out during the day to relax.” - Year 11 student
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“Before an exam, focusing on my breathing helps me with stress.” - A-Level student
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“It makes me concentrate more in lessons because when my mind wanders, I can bring it back.” - Year 11 student
Please get in touch if:
- You'd like to know more about mindfulness and meditation for children
- You're a school leader; we'd be happy to arrange a presentation in your school
"If every child in the world is taught meditation,
we will eliminate violence within one generation"
Dalai Lama
Further reading:
To learn more about mindfulness in schools, please visit www.mindfulnessinschools.org.
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We also recommend this book:
Happy Teachers Change The World - A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education
by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare