He used an elastic band to illustrate how some stress is good for all of us but warned that we must be mindful of how far we stretch ourselves and understand the risks and the importance of talking to someone if we begin to feel overwhelmed.

Additionally, most tutor groups have been shown a presentation about mental health.  That presentation is available to download here. Our Action Equality group, led by Miss Walton and Miss Watson, is running a 7 week programme to support our students.  The aim is to let students who are interested experience different things that may help them now or in the future.  The programme starts on Monday 22nd January and will always run from 3:30pm until 4pm.  The activities are as follows:

Mon 22nd January:                             Tea and talk, in F9

Mon 29th January:                              Walk your worries away, in F9

Mon 5th February:                              Healthy Eating, in F9

Mon 19th  February:                            Yoga, in the Sports Hall (bring your PE kit)

Mon 26th  February:                            Meditation, in the Sports hall (bring your PE kit)

Mon 5th  March:                                  Drama workshop, in the Drama Studio

Mon 12th  March:                                Setting goals, in F9

As a school we recognise and have to manage an increased amount of issues presenting themselves from students that fall within the umbrella of mental health. It is important for the whole school community to feel comfortable when discussing these issues and treat them with the same level of care and compassion as any other illness, without prejudice and without a stigma being attached.

In addition to the support given to students by tutors, co-tutors, student support officers, Heads of House, school based counsellors, external agencies and in-school mentors, there are an additional fifteen members of school staff who all undertook a training course delivered by Mental Health First Aid England. These staff members undertook the training with a view to being able to support any student who feels they need it; this can be done either by a one to one conversation in school or by simply signposting a student to a website or giving them some useful written literature to take away.

It is also really important to us that members of staff feel adequately supported too; the team of MHFA trained staff are also on hand to speak to any adult within the school community.