Children Mental Health Week 2024

We are proud to celebrate another Children’s Mental Health Week, embracing this year’s inspiring theme: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself. This theme encourages self-awareness and personal development, reminding us all that growth isn’t just about getting older but about building resilience, learning from our experiences, and taking care of our mental well-being.

Whole School Assembly

To kick off the week, Mrs. Armsby, alongside some of our Year 12 Wellbeing Ambassadors and Peer Mentors, led a whole school assembly to reflect on what it means to truly know yourself and grow yourself.

Key takeaways from the assembly:

• Knowing yourself means understanding your feelings, thoughts, strengths, and challenges. It’s about recognizing how you react to situations, what brings you joy, what upsets you, and what you are passionate about.

• Growing yourself goes beyond physical and intellectual development - it’s about strengthening your mind and heart, building resilience, and learning from mistakes. Growth happens in the small, daily actions we take to care for ourselves.

Wellbeing Activities Across the School

Throughout the week, students participated in a variety of activities during form time, reinforcing the theme of well-being and self-care:

• Well-being walks – Taking in the beauty of our school grounds in the crisp frost

• Music playlists for mindful moments – Sharing music that brings comfort and relaxation

• Exploring strengths – Engaging with Dr Martin Seligman’s 24 Universal Character Strengths

• Year 7’s well-being month culmination – As part of their January Well-being month, Year 7 students shared highlights from their ‘Being Great’ challenge led by Mrs Hinks and Ms Harrison. They explored the Five Ways to Well-being: Connect, Be Active, Learn, Give, and Take Notice

• Guest speakers – 'Off the Record,' a Bristol-based mental health charity, visited Year 9 and 10 assemblies to provide insight and support on mental health topics

Fundraising Initiatives

To support Place2Be, a charity dedicated to children’s mental health, students across the school engaged in fundraising activities:

• The ‘100 challenge’ – Year 10 students completed this challenge during form time.

• Creative tote bag decorating – Organised by our Almoners, Sindy and Ella.

• Green non-uniform day – A ‘Grow Yourself’ themed dress-down day, bringing the school together in support of mental health awareness. 

A Continued Commitment to Well-being

In the lead-up to Children’s Mental Health Week, Year 7 embarked on their annual Wellbeing Term. Each tutor time and year group assembly focused on a different aspect of well-being, challenging students to take part in activities such as:

• Digital detox – Taking a break from screens to focus on mindfulness.

• Being GREAT challenge – Based on the Five Ways to well-being

• Well-being walks – Enjoying fresh air and nature with friends

• Hot chocolate moments – Sharing a comforting drink and good conversation

• Yoga & wake and shake sessions – Encouraging movement and relaxation

• DIY natural face masks – Exploring self-care in a fun, creative way

• Music and mood reflection – Understanding how music impacts our emotions

As the term continues, we look forward to seeing the positive impact these initiatives have on our students' well-being. Thank you to everyone who took part, and let’s continue to support each other in knowing ourselves and growing ourselves - every day.