A READING primary school has received an award for putting the happiness and wellbeing of children at the heart of school life.

Thameside Primary School in Caversham is the first recipient of the Inside Out Award presented by the education charity, Inside Out.

The award was established to recognise schools for their exceptional commitment to the happiness and wellbeing of their children.

The charity is responding to the growing children’s mental health crisis by helping schools in Reading and Oxford tackle challenges posed by mental health problems, exam stress and anxiety.

Children gain a ‘toolkit’ of fun and practical life skills and activities they can use in everyday life to reduce stress, find focus, increase confidence and resilience to feel better, learn better and flourish.

Thameside Primary School Headteacher, Sophie Greenaway, said: “We are incredibly proud of this accolade.

“We have seen tangible benefits on the wellbeing, health and learning of our children.

“The award means a lot to the whole school community.

“I am so pleased that Inside Out is now at the heart of our school curriculum!”

Inside Out inspires children to be happy inside and out understanding that happy children learn better.

They support the school with a range of services including fun days out, school toolbox resources, teacher training to embed into the curriculum and a happiness index wellbeing tool to track the impact.

The wellbeing award is the first of its kind.

To achieve it, Inside Out provides schools with a framework that is solid enough to have validity and flexible enough to be relevant for each school.

Inside Out Founder and CEO, Stephanie Weissman, said: “We are thrilled to recognise Thameside Primary School as the first recipient of our new award.

“We hope other schools will follow Thameside’s inspiring lead.

“We’re one step closer to our vision of a world where the happiness of children is as important as their academic achievement.”