An introduction to MELVA

What does your school get access to?

• 3 different MELVA themed creative interventions

  The full MELVA package consists of three different creative interventions:

  • Explore Scratchicle Town (aimed at Years 3-4)
  • Melva’s Mountain Adventure (aimed at Years 4-5)
  • The Quest for Barnabas Boggle (aimed at Years 5-6)

  Each intervention centres around a different Melva story, and each story is told in a different way: through a series of animation; a filmed theatre show; and a choose-your-own-adventure style game.

  Each intervention is designed to be delivered over the course of 8 x 1 hour lessons, but you can go at your own pace depending on the needs of the young people you are working with. They come with fully prepared lesson plans and practical wraparound activities for in-depth learning, including: creative activities, mindfulness activities, positive psychology exercises, discussion topics and prompts, and practical self-management techniques to learn individually and in groups.

  Click the links above to find out more about each individual MELVA intervention.

  Exciting news:
  We are currently working on a 4th intervention – the Melva BOOK! This will be aimed predominantly at Year 6 children and will explore themes around transition, growing up, and grief.

• A bank of wellbeing activities & themed assemblies

  As well as the structured interventions, we also provide examples of other simple activities you can use with your class or wider school anytime you like, such as simple mindfulness and breathing activities. These extra resources are designed to help make good mental wellbeing practices part of your daily school routine.

  New for academic year 24/25 will also be a bank of themed assemblies, to support your whole school approach.

• The MELVA digital portal & Teacher Area

  Your school will receive a unique login for the full MELVA online portal, where the 3 creative interventions are hosted.

  This portal also includes a Teacher Area which holds all the necessary resources and guides you need to get started and deliver with your class, all in one easy to access place: lesson plans, evaluation guides, user guides and more.

• A simple evaluation report at the end of the year

  We have built evaluation into the MELVA package, including pre- and post- intervention assessments, and session-by-session feedback.

  This means that, subject to proper and full completion and submission of the evaluation data, we can provide you with a simple report at the end of the year to demonstrate impact, including:

  • Improvements in knowledge, understanding and recall
  • Levels of key wellbeing indicators whilst participating in the MELVA programme*

  *We measure this using the PERMA™ framework – a model developed by Dr Martin Seligman and the studies in Positive Psychology to represent the presence of wellbeing

• Teacher CPD & support for school staff

  With statutory services in such high demand, it is falling to schools to support children with their mental health, in place of trained mental health practitioners. We know this can come with its own anxieties and challenges, especially when considered alongside the epidemic of stress and burnout that teachers and school staff are already facing.

  With this in mind, we have deliberately factored staff support into the programme. Throughout the year, school staff will be able to access:

  • Introductory sessions to support the implementation of MELVA in your school.
  • Digital and in person Teacher CPD Sessions on wellbeing focused topics, such as Emotional Resilience and Managing Difficult Conversations.
  • Bookable 1:1 surgery slots with the MELVA team.
  • Facilitated conversation with other schools using MELVA to discuss your experiences and common issues arising around mental health and wellbeing in schools.