Mental health key at North Tyneside school

A North Tyneside school showed its support for the mental wellbeing of both staff and pupils on Thursday 10 October.

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Cullercoats marked World Mental Health Day with a series of activities designed to promote mental health at the school, which is a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.

“The children took part in lessons based on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Objectives from their PSHE [Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education] curriculum,” explained Deputy Headteacher Joanne MacDonald.

“The focus of the day was ‘prioritising mental health in the workplace’, so there were opportunities throughout the day for Tea and Talk for all staff, with advice and support, shared information, and signposting.”

Children across the school, from Reception to Year 6, were involved in the event, which included a ‘Resilience Programme’ for Year 6 delivered by Class Teacher Ben Miley, and a ‘Strong Not Tough’ initiative for their parents.

Mental health was already a priority at St Mary’s, which was recently awarded a Bronze School Mental Health Award for its work in promoting and safeguarding mental wellbeing.

“Prioritising mental health and wellbeing is a whole school culture, and we teach children and staff how to recognise signs of poor mental health, and support them to talk and seek help,” continued Mrs MacDonald. 

“Our PSHE curriculum was a huge part of our work towards achieving the award. We have also worked very hard to create an open and honest culture, where staff feel supported and able to talk if they are struggling, and know how to get help.”

Launched by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992, World Mental Health Day promotes the awareness of mental health illness across the globe, and is celebrated annually in over 150 countries.

“World Mental Health Day allows us to shine a spotlight on our work and raise awareness for the children, but also for parents and our wider community,” added Mrs MacDonald.

“It helps the children to understand that everyone has mental health, and that it is ‘OK not to be OK’.”