CMHW shines light on pupil mental health.

Making KSA Smile is infectious during Children’s Mental Health Week.

King’s St Alban’s has relished the opportunity to participate in Place2Be’s Let’s Connect theme as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. Highlighting the importance of children and young people’s mental health is a focal point of everyday life at King’s St Alban’s; we seek to raise awareness and empower children to develop skills to support their own well-being.

Our Children’s Mental Health Week started with a lively and thought-provoking assembly taken by child clinical psychologist, Dr Kate Mason. Using the children’s story The Hugging Tree by Jill Neimark and illustrator Nicole Wong, Prep pupils listened to how a lonely tree positioned on a cliff edge weathered the seasons, became home to a bird’s nest and was looked after and enabled to blossom thanks to the care of a passing young boy. Pupils were also inspired by the setbacks faced by various icons such as Michael Jordan and JK Rowling. Dr Kate’s message encouraged pupils to use different tools to find courage, discover resilience and bounce back.

On Safer Internet Day pupils were encouraged to reach out and connect with adults when things become difficult online. Maintaining healthy communication and connection amongst children, families and friends is the key to supporting young people when things get difficult to navigate, whether it be on group chats or Roblox.

We are proud to have embedded paws b and .Breathe into our Years 3, 5 and 6 curriculum over the past seven years. This Mindfulness in School Project programme provides children with brain science and a tool kit of strategies of how to deal with worries, including mindful breathing. We have long been a growth mindset school; our key words change termly and become a focal point of our assemblies and classroom ethos. Last year, Mrs Lewis launched the leadership opportunity of Mindfulness Ambassadors; after some training, pupils love to deliver visualisations and body scans during form time sessions at the start of each busy school day.

In addition to our active PSHE curriculum, pupils from EYFS to Year 6 enjoy Well-being Wednesday activities. As part of our Making KSA SMILE ethos, each week pupils are encouraged to reflect on emotions such as anxiety, anger and connect through dance, drawing or yoga to spread positivity and love.

Stay Connected

Move and keep active

Inspired to give

Look and take notice

Enjoy and keep learning

For this week’s Well-being Wednesday, each KSA year group united with children across the country and took part in the Place2Be’s We’re all in this together! Form rooms were filled laughter and cheer when cheerleading moves were matched by basketball groves!

Celebration Assembly is a genuine highlight of the week and this Friday the children gathered for a Whole School Sit Together. Mindful Ambassador Annie in Year 6 lead the whole school community; her calm body scan helped set up all the pupils and staff for a feel good Friday. Mrs Kilbey reminded pupils that sometimes in order to be brilliant, you must first be brave, so believe in yourself and shine!

As we come to the end of Children’s Mental Health Week in school, please can I encourage parents to register for The Wellbeing Hub. Scan this unique King’s St Alban’s QR code for free access to webinars, podcasts and advice about how we can best support children’s emotional health and well-being. The Wellbeing Hub covers a wide range of topics and also includes support and guidance for parents, so please do take a look.