Children’s Mental Health Week

As part of Children’s Mental Health Week various agencies came into school to work alongside staff to deliver a range of activities for our students, all focussed around health.  We all know too well the intersectionality between physical health, safety and mental health.  There were guest speakers from Manchester NHS, THRIVE, GMP, Talkshop, Trafford Sleep Services and Trafford Domestic Abuse Service.  Here are some of the things the students had to say . . .

7SCE- We understand that it’s ok to feel anxious and stressed at times, we learnt about a range of strategies that can help us deal with these times from eating healthily, getting enough sleep and the need to relax through meditation. Ultimately, we are unique and there’s no such thing as perfect.

7FDN- The pupils’ favourite sessions were meditation as they were calm and fitness bingo because it was fun! They enjoyed all sessions! Kooth session could be improved and more interactive. They have learnt how to meditate and that vaping has around 2000 chemicals!

7MCE- Their favourite sessions were the fitness and meditation because it was fun and made them feel calm, ‘finding inner peace.’ They have learnt how the brain works, how smoking and vaping are bad for you and that other people could be experiencing the same thoughts and feelings as them. They also really enjoyed Mrs Jennings session on body image and men’s mental health as this was important to them and different from the other topics covered.

8DMU- We enjoyed the meditation session most as it was calming and relaxing. We were able to disconnect from the world. We also found the alcohol session enjoyable, the glasses which enabled us to experience what it was like to be drunk were useful. The police session was informative as we found out about different situations and legal consequences of knives from someone who had experience policing the streets. His anecdotes brought the session to life. We found the day informative and enjoyed the variety of experiences compared to a typical school day.

8GBN- Joint top were circuit training, meditation, knife crime and diet and health. Overall, they feel more knowledgeable about their own bodies and also, how to stay safe in the community. Future ideas- sessions on the teenage brain, vaping and smoking, more time with the GMP (they loved his stories), an activity relating to music was also requested.

8MRN- A good range of activities which covered many of the group’s interests. It was a great opportunity for the tutor group to bond.

8DMY- had a great day learning about a variety of different ways in which they can stay healthy. They particularly enjoyed the fitness session, finding it fun, and they particularly liked learning about knife crime and joint enterprise with PC Walsh, finding his stories very entertaining and informative.

8CSE- Our day started with meditation, which received a balanced response; some of us found it relaxing, some of us found it boring. As a result, we learned that there are different solutions, for different people, when trying to support our wellbeing. We appreciated learning about how to be safe, with PC Walsh, and the dangers of carrying a weapon. Also, we discovered that at least a third of us don’t get enough sleep! It was a good day! We score it at approx. 7/10!

8LGE– 8LGE enjoyed the CMH day as it gave us a different view on how both our physical and mental health can be affected by things such as stress, sleep, diet and exercise. We thoroughly enjoyed the session with PC Walsh, who was engaging with his stories as a member of the police force and informative with his teachings on the laws around knife crime and carrying a sharp object.

8SBN– a brilliant day, I know for a fact my tutor group enjoyed their time and learnt lots along the way.

Mrs Taylor-Crooke