News
Last week we were extremely excited to be taking part in the UK’s first Mental Health and Wellbeing Festival in recognition of Childrens Mental Health Week run by children’s mental health charity Place 2 Be.
The day gave our pupils an opportunity to discuss their feelings as well as develop an understanding of the important role that mental health plays in our everyday world. The speakers and presentations were selected to help equip our pupils with skills to build resilience and strategies to support them through lockdown – you can view the day’s timetable in the image below:
Juliette (Remove, Winfield), wrote the below review of the day:
‘I particularly enjoyed the talk about addiction from the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Our presenter was really nice as he told us about his experience with drugs and drinking alcohol as well as supportive ways of reaching out to others for help. It was really comforting to know that many people go through experiences with addiction and that there are support systems in place for anyone struggling. Throughout the other presentations we realised that to support our friends, one of the best things to do is simply to listen. Our advice may be offered but they are not entitled to take it. Overall, I found the presentations to be really beneficial as I was reminded that my friends, family and teachers are there for me if I need them.’
Radio DJ, Broadcaster and Mental Health Campaigner Neev Spencer also gave a presentation on her own experiences which pupils found extremely influential and relatable.
‘Listening to Neev speak about her life experiences really resonated with me. She was lovely presenter who was extremely kind and relatable for everyone – thank you so much for speaking to us!’
‘Neev was able to connect with us in a way that made us feel empowered and unafraid to face hardship.’
‘Personally I feel like her story was very inspiring and gave people hope that there’s always light at the end of tunnel and to never give up. She made it so easy to understand and was very engaging. I didn’t feel any form of “screen fatigue” during the whole session. The Q&A part was also very entertaining.’
‘Thank you for sharing your inspiring stories with us. It was a great talk and we really appreciated it. Thank You!’
Thank you to all the amazing presenters who gave up their time to talk to our pupils about many different areas of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
As a school we were so fortunate to have these stories shared with us. Such experiences, strategies and insights are invaluable as we all negotiate these current times.
Thank you also to the pupils and the PSHE department for your questions and engagement.
