In the last week of Spring Term, Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy launched its own ‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week,’ encouraging pupils to discuss the things that make them feel worried or anxious.
The week started with a whole school assembly, where we read ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’ by Virginia Ironside and presented the children with a ‘Worry Monster.’ Children wrote about, or drew pictures of, something that was worrying them, placed it in the Worry Monster’s mouth and then watched their worries disappear as the monster ate them all away! The School Council ran a competition to name the Worry Monster and ‘Jeff’ was the winning entry. Jeff helped the children work on ‘Big Feelings’ and how we can respond to them in a constructive way.
As well as encouraging pupils to open up about things that were worrying them, we discussed why it is important not to keep emotions bottled up or keep our fears to ourselves. Pupils were also introduced to a variety of calming activities, including Yoga, Thai Chi and guided meditation.
Themed artwork was produced by some year groups and our Year 6 children used the song, ‘This is Me’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’ to remind everyone of all the wonderful things they have to offer the world. The song touches on themes that include being resilient in the face of adversity, being proud of who we are, and not letting other people negatively influence our opinion of ourselves.
Pupils also benefited from a visit by The Samaritans, who held a number of mental health workshops for pupils and reinforced the message that the Academy offers a safe place for pupils to talk – in their own time and in their own way – about whatever is bothering them.
Co-Principal Ann Winter said,
“Our Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week had a really positive impact on our pupils and it was clear that many of them found it cathartic to openly discuss the worries that were troubling them, both big and small. It was an opportunity for us to reassure pupils that our priority is always for them to feel safe, happy and well at the Academy, and that an adult will always be available to listen to their concerns and help them resolve their problems. We also stressed the importance of supporting each other during difficult times and being compassionate and understanding towards others, and our pupils enjoyed learning about different coping mechanisms that help people to face and tackle their worries.”
