on taking mindfulness programmes into secondary schools, where the approach has been shown to help in managing exam stress. Engaging young children with mindfulness requires an experienced approach that takes into account their shorter attention spans and emotional development. Dharma Primary School integrated mindfulness, as a deeper Buddhist ethos, for very young children. The practice may be of benefit to children during their primary school years when the brain’s limbic system (that controls emotion and behaviour) is still developing; scientific research has shown that core life skills, emotional literacy and personality traits formed during this crucial period help determine how we will function as adults. The school integrated short sessions of silent or guided meditation several times a week for young children and connects mindfulness with regular daily activities such as eating, working and playing as a way to develop patience, compassion and self-awareness. In daily meditation the older children were given a range of opportunities to reflect on and discuss experiences that have affected their inner world. On Fridays parents were invited to the school puja, during which there was usually quiet time for meditation, after which the children performed or showed some work, or a story was told. As well as mindfulness and meditation, yoga was taught to children, alongside mainstream lessons. Notes External links The Dharma School February 2010 Ofsted report June 2007 Ofsted report Educational institutions established in 1994 1994 establishments in England Defunct schools in Brighton and Hove Educational institutions disestablished in 2020 2020 disestablishments in England