Any experience of the Massage In Schools Programme?

[WigWamBam]

My dd's school is introducing the Massage In Schools Programme - apparently it's based on the premise that "respectful touch can encourage self-esteem, confidence and mutual respect". Children work in pairs to give each other ten minutes of simple massage strokes on the head, shoulders and back. It's not compulsory, and children ask permission before they start.

I just wondered if anyone has any experience of this in their children's school, and whether it worked, do the children enjoy it or is it just hype?

That sounds really interesting.
What age is it aimed at, I wonder if the kids will take it seriously or just mess about?

Where else has this been tried?

I don't know where it's generally aimed but dd's school is infants so maybe they'll take it more seriously than the older ones might. Apparently it was developed in Sweden, the small amount of blurb I have says it's in use in 1000 schools in the UK now.

I'm torn between thinking on the one hand that it's a brilliant idea, and on the other that it's a bit odd!

I agree.. bit hippy hugging trees like isn't it?!!!

But,maybe,we shouldn't be so cynical!

Babies benefit hugely from massage (as do adults!!) so why not kids??

I know someone who takes massage into schools as part of this scheme and i just wish my schol offered it!As you say th echildren do not have to take part and those that do,well,here is one example:all children sit in a large circle and then turn so they are eache looking at the person in fronts back(still in a circle)they then massage th eshoulders of the child in front.It is incrediably calming and relaxing for them,and it is done as a fun thing like yoga for kids.The children who dont wish to physically take part must stay in the room and watch quietly and the studies have shown that they too become relaxed and calm.Nothing weird about it honestly,and the children do take it seriously and seem to really love it.Its the sort of thing our kids need nowadays ,so much pressure to be busy and achieving ,i think its fab!I have instructed children on foot and hand massage and again they really enjoy it and are naturally v good at massaging.

There's a primary school in Lambeth that does it, but I can't remember which one, sorry. My kids' schools don't.

That's interesting, interstella. It does sound like a good thing, I was just a bit unsure whether with a bunch of 5 year olds anyone will get any benefit!

I'm a bit of a tree-hugger myself so as I said, part of me thinks it's a brilliant idea; I was just wondering whether it works in practice and it sounds from your post as if it does.

Fauve, I remember someone telling me that Jubilee primary in Lambeth did massage.

Yes, I think that's the one. It was featured in a national newspaper, can't remember which, and it was very much as Interstella describes.

I did see a newspaper report on it, but it was pretty scathing and not particularly informative. I don't know if it was the same one you saw but it was damning praise; listed the apparent benefits but was very much along the lines of the schools spending so much time on things like massage and brain gym that they aren't teaching the children ... "Children get massage but won't be able to spell the word" kind of thing. I didn't find it particularly useful as it was thinly veiled mockery.

No, the article you describe is one you'd expect in a way from the national press writing about a Lambeth school - Lambeth's still suffering from its eighties 'loony left' image, even though it's now run by a Tory/LibDem alliance.

The article I saw was a good while ago - at least two years. It had a pic of the children sitting round in a massage circle.

I think it sounds great, personally. Very relaxing, supportive, anti-bullying, etc.

I don't know where the article came from, it was a photocopy that the head had circulated with the leaflet that she sent out about the MISP - you're probably right about it being the way the press write about Lambeth, although I can't remember whether that was the school in question. It certainly didn't seem very well balanced!

I'm hoping that it does work as far as respect for peers, anti-bullying and so on is concerned - I can see the benefits with regard to relaxation, but the claims that it can encourage self-esteem and mutual respect interested me too - I'm interested in whether that's actually a proven benefit of this kind of practice, and whether people have found that it does have these effects.

The school likes to take quite a holistic approach to teaching, which on the whole I very much agree with and I'm sure that they will have looked into this quite carefully. It certainly looks very attractive on paper, I just wondered whether it actually works when put into practice.

I think the claim was also that it calmed any hyperactive and disruptive children, and gave them 'time to chill'. I got the impression that the head was very sure of what she was doing, and that it really did work. Lambeth has a very mobile population, so schools face particular challenges.

WWB, I'll come down from the fence here. I'm very doubtful about the whole idea. Those that work in primary schools are often touchy-feely types who are intolerant of those unlike themselves. I'm not remotely touchy-feely (though as a wildlife trust volunteer I do more for trees than most treehuggers) and would be deeply embarrassed by the whole massage circle idea, as would my sons. The articles I have read say that participation is voluntary, but I really wonder how voluntary it really is. Interstella states that the children who do not wish to take part have to sit quietly in the room and watch - that, to my mind, is not giving them a free choice.

I don't believe alternative therapy has a place in schools, particularly when insufficient attention is given to developing the children's critical facilities in science. I found Braingym with its ludicrous pseudoscientific self-justification very worrying. Fortunately my children, having a mother who drags them out on botanical surveys whenever they start believing Lumbridge is a real place, treat the whole business (discreetly) with the contempt it deserves.

I too would be very interested to hear from anyone with direct experience of Massage in Schools, though for different reasons.

They do it in my DD's infants school where I work as a relief TA. Hallgerda what are you going on about re 'people who work in primary schools being" touchy feely types"..? (And intolerent of those who aren't?' What an odd comment!

The children love it. It really calms them after they come in from the lunch hour all hyper. Sometimes some of them choose not to particpate which is fine.. no teacher ever tells them they have to do it. And the teacher/TA who is instructing them demonstrates on another adult if present.. or failing that, a white board (!)... never another child.. that's not allowed.

They do 'themes' like a 'weather massage' where they do actions of different aspects of weather (wind rain sun etc) on their partners back whislt visualising what the teacher is describing. There is nothing remotely odd or even new-age-like about it really!

In all the classrooms I have witnessed these short sessions I have never seen a child react to the idea with anything approaching horror.. and even those that say 'no thanks' usually do it another time. (I think they are just enjoying the power to choose whether to participate.)

Personally I think its a bit of a shame that some parents might give their children the idea that phyiscal contact of this kind is in some way 'not ok'.

Sleepyjess, thanks for telling us what goes on in these massage sessions. I'm afraid I find the idea of anyone doing weather actions on my back utterly creepy, and a trifle odd and new-age. (And I do wonder whether any of the rougher children ever try hailstones instead of soft drizzle. I'd suspect there was something up with them if they hadn't at least considered the idea.) I haven't warned my children against that kind of physical contact, merely observed at toddler groups, parties etc. that they really don't like it.

Turning to the "touchy-feely" comment, I encourage my children to think through any problems and sort them out for themselves where possible, even if they are upset. I also express my views in a direct and straightforward way. This has earned me some disapproval from those who think my role should be that of woolly comfort blanket. I have also had problems (in the past now, I'm glad to say) relating to DS3 not being very motivated by sticker charts or peer pressure, and have sat through a number of meetings with teachers who tried to make out this was some kind of special needs issue.

I'm a SAHM who used to have a career. Back in those days I went on numerous management courses on how to get the best out of working relationships with people with a diverse range of personalities. I think some of my children's teachers could do with similar training.

Well you are of course entitled to your opinions Hallgerda.. but I would respectfully suggest ( I think I'm in court now.. I am over exposed to Cod I feel...!) that your general feeling on the whole issue is probably not alkl that mainstream.. and that many of the doubts that parents may feel are down to not seeing what goes on. Yes it is odd to imagine your child undergoing a full 'therapy -style' massage' within the school day.. but that is not what happens at all. If parents were to see what does actually happen then my feeling is that the vast majority would say 'oh well that's ok then!' (if they ever had a problem with it in the first place.)

The 'weather massage' sessions actually seem to be the most popular - which is why it's the one I have seen most- the children choose it!.. so they obviously don't find it odd or creepy. And yes sometimes 'hailstones' can be PART of the massage.. but I have never seen anyone get hurt or even made uncomfortable; that would defeat the whole object of the exercise... It's all very quiet and well supervised and any child not taking part in an appropriate manner (as with any classroom activity) is asked to stop.. and their partner will be put into a three with another pair if he/she wishes to continue. (The only 'negative' behaviour I have seen is when they are being 'silly' not nasty or particularly distruptive.)

And if it is a little 'new-agey' (can't say it has occured to me until you said so.. 'new'.. but not 'new-age') then so be it! I think it's great to see new (and sometimes new/old) ideas embraced within schools.

How do you feel about music being played in the classroom by the way? I witnessed this technique being used on a notoriously hard to handle mixed year group of Y5/6 children a few years ago.. with their consent. The effect was very marked and positive and wasn't just novelty value as it was continuous over months (and probably still ongoing). It was favourably documented by Ofsted inspectors who were in at the time.
SJ x

My view on the music would depend on how it was used. I understand that music can help concentration. However,I'd be a little concerned about whether the children were relying on an external stimulus to calm them rather than practising self control. Getting them calm in the short term might be essential to their education, but at some point they will have to acquire some self-discipline. I would also wonder whether there was an underlying reason why the class was difficult. One obvious problem occurs to me. DS1 is in Year 6 and they're doing constant SATs practice, whereas Year 5 was more free and easy. I can't see the two approaches mixing very well in a single class.

I'd be very interested to know what sort of music was used and how (constant background or at particular times).

Well.. I know we're wildly off the original topic now.. (my fault) but it was a school in what's known as an 'area of deprivation' and the mixed year group was for unavoidable practical reasons (low numbers of Y5s) and there were a high number of 'more difficult to manage' children in this class because the teacher was particular good at handling them.. and getting work out of them to boot. The music was mainly classical and on at a low level in the background, not at all related to the work they were doing in any way.

The kids did get a choice on what music was played (out of the classical range on offer) and to begin with it would seem probable that the novelty value was a definite factor in their improved behaviour/work performance.. but obviously the novelty factor wore over the days and weeks.. and still, on the whole, they behaved better.

See what you are saying about it not being preferable to rely on music on order for them to be calm.. but I suppose the music was teaching them some self control?

The work being covered was similar for both year groups as they of similar ability, although some were working towards SATS and some weren't obviously.

My son was a Y5 in this class and not one of the high maintenance kids.. and I welcomed the new approaches this teacher was using when I saw the effect it was having as it meant he was not constantly being hindered by disruptive behaviour. Reason I thought about it was because it seemed to have a similar effect to the massge sessions on the younger ones.

Very interesting, SleepyJess. If your deprived area's anything like mine (yes, Fauve, I'm in Lambeth!) I imagine classical music had considerable novelty value. It's great that it worked; my DS1 is in his school's difficult class so I know the situation. Maybe, as you say, the music was teaching them self control. It is also possible that it got the children into good habits before the novelty wore off.

Has it affected the music the children like to listen to in their spare time, or encouraged any of them to take up a musical instrument? (Yes, I know this is off-subject but nobody else has posted on this thread for a while so I don't feel too guilty!)

I've just gone through the training programme for this to introduce it in my school. It has been interesting to read this. I just knew if I did a search then MN would have something!

I have been doing it to my 2 every night and both are loving it. Ds really likes the weather story that SleepyJess was talking about.