Opogo Community

Live Meditation Session hosted by Yasmina from Frame
2020-06-03 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-06-10 17:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London)
Yasmina is an experienced Yoga & Meditation Teacher and also qualified Nutrition and Health Coach. She runs retreats and workshops in the UK and internationally guiding clients to be happier and healthier versions of themselves.
Click on the link below to register your spot and we will see you in class on Wednesday at 5.00pm:

Register Here

Live Meditation Session hosted by Yasmina from Frame
2020-06-17 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-07-01 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-07-15 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-07-22 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-07-29 17:00 - 18:00
Yasmina will be leading a calming meditation class on Wednesday afternoons, that will help you unwind, relax and get a bit of mental clarity after a long day. The session is suitable for anyone whether completely new to meditation or a long time practitioner. Most classes will be done lying down in a comfortable position (blankets and cushions welcome!) whilst being introduced to some calming breathing exercises, body relaxation techniques and guided mediation. Meditation has been shown to help reduce stress, encourage relaxation, promote sleep, balance the nervous system, help relieve anxiety and aid memory. It is suitable for everyone, as it is practised lying down.
Yasmina is an experienced Yoga & Meditation Teacher and also qualified Nutrition and Health Coach. She runs retreats and workshops in the UK and internationally guiding clients to be happier and healthier versions of themselves. She is also the founder of wellness delivery company www.readysteadyglow.uk Yasmina runs weekly online yoga classes open for all, details can be found on her Instagram @iamyasminac.
Click on the link below to register your spot and we will see you in class on Wednesday at 5.00pm:

Register Here

Street Dancing With Andrea Rose Makes Fitness Fun
2020-07-09 18:00 - 19:00
Opogo has partnered with Andrea Rose Dance (ARD) to bring you dance classes that combine dance with fitness.
Our second class is 45 minutes long and will combine fitness exercises with a street dance routine improving musicality, coordination and having fun.
This is an interactive session so please wear comfortable clothing and trainers.
Andrea Rose has been a professional dancer, choreographer for the stars and qualified dance teacher for many years. ARD firmly believes dance provides a feel-good factor with immediate gratification, as well as keeping you energised, physically and mentally fit. Dance has been scientifically proven to benefit those who may suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
ARD provides a range of dance genres in the form of workshops, culminating into stage shows within schools, local communities, as well as private classes for all ages.

Follow on Twitter: @AndreaRoseDance
Follow on FaceBook: Andrea Rose Dance
Email: info@andrearosedance.com

Click on the link below to register your spot and we will see you in class on Thursday, 9th July at 6.00pm:

Register Here

Creating a Whole School Approach to Mental Health & Wellbeing
2020-09-24 16:00 - 17:00
We know that better Mental Health and Wellbeing in a school results in better:

Academic outcomes
Reduces staff absence and turn over and
Can reduce pressure on external services

This webinar will consider how schools can start to embed a whole school approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing, how they can make the changes meaningful, measure the impact and make a difference to the whole community.

You should attend this webinar if you:

Want a variety of actions to start the ball rolling in your school
Need help to build a business case for a whole school approach
Would like to be enabled to understand what it means to create a whole school approach.

Register here

About Lucinda Powell

Lucinda Powell supports teachers to use evidenced based psychology in all aspects of their classroom practice. She has a BSc in Philosophy and Psychology, an MA in Special and Inclusive education, is a qualified teacher and taught psychology from 2002-2017.

Since September 2017 she has been working as a Education Consultant specialising in mental health and wellbeing but is now focusing on how to apply psychology to classroom practice.

As well as presenting at numerous conferences and running staff training in schools, she has worked closely with the AnDY Clinic at Reading University, as a coach on the School Mental Health Award at the Carnegie School of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools and leads the Oxfordshire Schools mental health and wellbeing network and is course author and associate lecturer for ITT at Coventry University.

As a mother of 3 boys, the eldest (16) of whom has ADHD & ASC and youngest (12) of whom is severely dyslexic, she has plenty of personal experience of supporting young people through their school career.

Returning to School After COVID-19
2020-10-01 16:30 - 18:30
Hosted by the British Psychological Society, Facilitated by Lucinda Powell

This webinar aims to give teachers an evidenced-based toolkit they can rely on to support the young people in their classrooms as well as the adults in their community, without adding to their workload.

The ramifications of the COVID-19 lockdown for the wellbeing of young people are currently unpredictable.

So, as schools returned in September to a different format everyone is feeling unsure and concerned about what will happen. The need to provide a sense of safety and security will be paramount.

Teachers will be at the front line for identifying and signposting those who are struggling with their mental health. At the same time, these teachers may be struggling themselves and they often feel ill-equipped to support the young people in their care. However, there are simple things that teachers can do in their classrooms and understanding how to identify and support young people who are struggling could make all the difference.

This is a paid for event: £48.50

Whole School Mental Health & Wellbeing - Best Practice Q&A panel
2020-12-02 16:30 - 17:30
We know that better mental health and wellbeing in a school results in better academic outcomes, reduces staff absence and turn over and can reduce pressure on external services.
About this Event
This webinar will consider how schools can start to embed a whole school approach to Mental Health and wellbeing, how they can make the changes meaningful, measure the impact and make a difference to the whole community. It will give attendees a variety of actions to start the ball rolling in their school, help them to build a business case for a whole school approach and enable them to understand what it means to create a whole-school approach.
Whole School Mental Health and Wellbeing looks different in every school. Three mental health leads from 3 very different schools which have been recognised for their excellent provision are coming together to discuss best practice in secondary schools. This will be an interactive session and the audience are encouraged to ask questions of the panel

Lucinda Powell (Host)
Lucinda Powell supports teachers to use evidenced-based psychology in all aspects of their classroom practice. She has a BSc in Philosophy and Psychology, an MA in Special and Inclusive education is a qualified teacher and taught psychology from 2002-2017. Since September 2017 she has been working as an Education Consultant specialising in mental health and wellbeing but is now focusing on how to apply psychology to classroom practice. As well as presenting at numerous conferences and running staff training in schools, she has worked closely with the AnDY Clinic at Reading University, as a coach on the School Mental Health Award at the Carnegie School of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools and leads the Oxfordshire Schools mental health and wellbeing network and is course author and associate lecturer for ITT at Coventry University. As a mother of 3 boys, the eldest (16) of whom has ADHD & ASC and youngest (12) of whom is severely dyslexic, she has plenty of personal experience of supporting young people through their school career.

Delyth Lynch – Deputy Head (Safeguarding and Mental Health), Wellington College
Delyth has been on the Senior Leadership Team at Wellington College for 10 years, having previously been Deputy Head (Pastoral). This followed a long career in boarding as a Director of Extra-Curricular activities and Housemistress at two schools.
In 2018 she was awarded the BSA Research Fellowship; Delyth conducted her research on ‘Abuse in Boarding Schools, probing into an area where there was little research or literature available. Her paper won the National Research Award (2019). Her innovative work in the pastoral education of parents saw her winning the TES ‘Boarding Initiative of the Year’ award (2016) and in 2020 the inaugural Wellington College ‘Community Mental Health Day’ was recognised with them winning the BSA ‘Wellbeing and Mental Health Initiative of the Year’. Wellington College currently holds the Gold Status in School Mental Health through the Carnegie Centre of Excellence.
Delyth is the Safeguarding Governor and Vice Chair of Governors at a local school, leads the Local Independent Schools DSL cluster group and sits on the BSA South East Safeguarding Forum. In her spare time she enjoys running around with her 4 year old daughter and triathlon.

Rob Vaughan
Rob qualified with B.Ed (hons) in Primary PE, after 5 years in the classroom in one of the most deprived areas of Merseyside, he became the Partnership Development Manager/Advisory Teacher of PE for 6 Secondary, 28 Primary and 5 SEN schools in the St Helens School Sport Partnerships. During this period, the partnership won 4 national awards for his work utilising sport as a tool to motivate pupils with barriers to learning. The partnership was also the first in the country to have an entire cluster of SEN schools.
After 9 years in this role and a great deal of success working with SEN, Rob decided to move back into the classroom to work alongside SEMH students who had been permanently excluded. Whilst in this role he started to focus more on supporting child mental health prior to crisis, rather than dealing with behaviour at crisis.
After 2 years back in the classroom Rob was offered the role of Head of Tuition Services, within Alternative Provision to support a unit of 17 students struggling with medical and/or complex needs. Within five years this unit has grown to accommodate 35 students with a variety of medical and complex needs that have prevented them from accessing mainstream education.

Zelia Munnik
Zelia started her teaching career in the UK in 2006 after relocating from South Africa. She spent a couple of years as Head of Geography whilst completing her SENCO Award at Roehampton University. She jumped at the opportunity to join the Senior Leadership team at Epsom and Ewell High School as Inclusion Lead and quickly developed strategies and procedures for ensuring rapid progress for all students with disabilities. She has a passion for changing the lives of young people and in 2013 stepped in as Headteacher of Pyrcroft Grange primary school. During her time at Pyrcroft, the school was acknowledged as the most improved primary school in Surrey and moved from the lowest-performing school in Surrey to the 2nd highest achieving school within 3 years. Zelia wanted to broaden her experience as a Headteacher and when the opportunity came to start a new Free School, she could not resist. She set up Chertsey High School in 2017 and continues to strive for better life chances for the children in Chertsey. The school’s strapline of ‘Enlightening minds; changing lives’ is what she lives by and therefore Mental Health plays a core part of everyday decisions and practice at Chertsey High.
Join us on 2 December 2020, at 4:30pm.
Register Now

Stress Expressed with Steve Carr
2021-03-09 17:00 - 18:30
About this Event

The value to mental health of simply sharing our thoughts
The value of talking circles for teachers cannot be overestimated. Teachers need to be able to think clearly. They deal in transferring knowledge from their minds into the minds of those they teach. More importantly, they do this most successfully when they navigate the maelstrom of emotions they encounter in every classroom and create connected relationships with pupils. These relationships need to be as free as they can be from any negative debris.

Talking about our challenges and verbalising our feelings to friends has been a source of relief for centuries.
Studies show that simply talking about our problems and sharing our negative emotions with people we trust can profoundly reduce stress, and strengthen our immune system. (Pennebaker, Kiecolt-Glaser, & Glaser, 1988). We can also experience a healing effect by simply noting and labelling our emotions (sad, angry, confused, ashamed, scared). By naming our more negative feelings, we can watch them fade from our minds. We can become more mindful, centred, and at peace (Lieberman et al, 2007).
Neuroscience studies by Lieberman et. al. (2007) and Vago and Silbersweig (2012) have found that labelling our feelings reduces activation in the amygdala, our brain’s alarm system that triggers the fight-or-flight reaction.
When we give words to our emotions, we move away from limbic reactivity by activating those parts of the brain that deal with language and meaning in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Lieberman et al, 2007).
We become less reactive, more mindfully aware and more able to think clearly.

You have been invited to join Steve on Tuesday 9th March from 5pm – 6:30pm.
Please register your attendance below:

Register Now

Who looks after the supply teachers? Put your oxygen mask on first! - webinar
2022-09-26 18:00 - 19:00
Join us on Monday 26 September at 6pm – 7pm for our second LEARN LIVE webinar ‘Who looks after the supply teachers? Put your oxygen mask on first!’
Life on supply can feel lonely at times and you may feel that you do not get the same level of support that permanent members of staff receive. You need to make sure you are looking after yourself and as they say during airplane safety announcements, ‘Put your own oxygen mask on first’. Patrick Ottley-O’Connor is one of the UK’s leading speakers and influencers in the world of self-care in education.

About Patrick Ottley-O’Connor
A headteacher & CEO for over 20 years, Patrick describes well-being as being his super power. In this webinar, Patrick will offer advice and guidance around how you can ensure you look after yourself in while you are temporary roles or if life on supply is your chosen career path. Make sure you tune in and get involved to get your blast of oxygen!

Register now

Maximising Your School Budget
2023-01-09 16:00 - 17:00
Join us on Monday 9 January at 4pm – 5pm for the LEARN LIVE webinar ‘Maximising your school budget’
In this first of a series of webinars to support school business managers, Annette Southworth offers her experience and skills to give insights into successful budgeting. Annette will talk through the issues and opportunities that are available for schools. Whether you are school leader looking to gain more knowledge of successful budget use or you are a business manager, this webinar is for you.

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Generating Income for Your School
2023-02-21 14:00 - 15:00
Join us on Tuesday 21 February at 2pm – 3pm for the LEARN LIVE webinar ‘Generating Income for Your School’
In this first of a series of webinars to support school business managers, Annette Southworth offers her experience and skills to give insights into successful budgeting. Annette will talk through the issues and opportunities that are available for schools. Whether you are school leader looking to gain more knowledge of successful budget use or you are a business manager, this webinar is for you.

Register now

Progressive Masculinity
2024-07-10 16:00 - 17:00
Join us on Wednesday 10 July at 4.00pm – 5.00pm for the LEARN LIVE webinar ‘Progressive Masculinity’
What are the aims of this webinar?
In our session we will hear about the work and vision of Progressive Masculinity. As their website states, “At Progressive Masculinity we challenge these regressive models of masculinity without presenting an alternative which would be dismissed by young men as ‘weak’. This is achieved by creating safe, non-judgemental spaces, listening to and valuing the voice of boys in order to construct models of masculinity which are consistent with their values, with the kind of men, friends, partners and fathers they wish to be in the future. We support them to become the kind of men this world badly needs”.
What will you take from this session?
You will hear about strategies to work with the boys in your setting to improve their knowledge and confidence in their masculinity. Mike Nicholson, Director, will give background to the organisation. He will then explain the essence of their work and how you can begin to build positivity around boys masculinity.
Who is the presenter?
Mike Nicholson has over seventeen years experience in education as an English teacher and middle leader. Having worked in schools from every Ofsted category he has a wide range of experience across the educational spectrum and early in his career began to develop a reputation for his ability to have an impact on boys and young men deemed ‘difficult’ and ‘challenging’. Recognition of his work with this group led to a nomination for a Pearson National Teaching Award. In 2009 Mike took a sabbatical year to manage an education program called The English Language Improvement Centre in a rural area of Ethiopia, Africa. Whilst the conditions during this time were very challenging it provided Mike with a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and a chance to change lives by developing the literacy skills of many who had previously been unable or denied the chance to learn.
Over the years Mike became increasingly interested in how our male pupils’ understanding of masculinity played such a pivotal role in their attitudes and behaviours. Researching, developing and piloting an early version of the Progressive Masculinity Program allowed him to see how so many of our young men put on a performance and a mask of what they think it means to be ‘a man’ gleaned from films, games, social media etc. The refined version of the Progressive Masculinity Program is Mike’s effort to give our young men the freedom and confidence to remove this mask and, through open dialogue and practical activities, reconstruct a healthier and more open-minded understanding of what it can mean to be ‘a man’.

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A Guide to Learning Support & Teaching Assistant Wellbeing
2024-12-12 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an insightful webinar on December 12th from 4 – 5pm presented by Lynn How, a renowned expert in the field of Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCO). With a vast network of around 10,000 SENCOs through her popular ‘Sweary SENCO Group’ on Facebook, Lynn brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this session.
Lynn is a prolific content creator, having published numerous blogs, produced a variety of YouTube guides, and authored several books. Her dedication to supporting learning assistants and teaching staff is unparalleled.
In this webinar, Lynn will delve into the crucial aspects of wellbeing for learning support and teaching assistants. Attendees will gain valuable insights into:
Effective strategies for maintaining mental and emotional health
Practical tips for managing workload and stress
Techniques for fostering a supportive and positive work environment
Resources and tools to enhance personal and professional wellbeing
This session is designed to empower learning support and teaching assistants with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in their roles. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the leading voices in the SENCO community.
Register now to secure your spot and take the first step towards enhancing your wellbeing and professional growth.

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