St Clement's helping students bounce back from pressure of lockdown

​Staff at St Clement’s High School have been doing their bit to support the well-being of students and ensuring they are not lacking in support despite the disruption caused by lockdown.

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​As part of last week's National Children’s Mental Health Week, the pastoral team at the Terrington St Clement school teamed up with local support charity the Matthew Project to ensure that secondary school-age children who may be feeling the strain of the pandemic are supported by its Bounce Back service.

“St Clement’s is incredibly proud of its students for the dedication and determination they have shown in the current situation,” said Emily Cawston from the pastoral team at St Clement’s, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust that runs 11 schools in West Norfolk.

“But the school recognises that it is not only important to provide high quality and accessible remote learning but it is also imperative to support well-being and mental health, which is being greatly impacted by the pressures of lockdown life.”

The Bounce Back programme is a new initiative from the Matthew Project, particularly aimed at young people aged 13 - 19 who may be struggling with their well-being, mental health and anxiety, and is supported by funding from the government and Big Lottery.

Students across all year groups at the school will be taking part in the programme, which has a variety of techniques to help reduce stress, build coping mechanisms and encourage positivity among youngsters, helping them navigate such a turbulent period in their lives. 

And if early responses are anything to go by, it is already proving a popular hit with pupils.
"Many thanks for organising the session miss," wrote student Daisy Stimpson. "I found some aspects of it [stress bucket] gave a useful insight into ways that I can develop coping strategies for difficult times, and it has also helped me to think about how others might or might not be coping throughout these stressful times." 

Cathryn Remmington, who delivered the training at St Clement's and works for the Matthew Project, said: "There has been such a lot of uncertainty, change and stress brought about by the Covid 19 Pandemic. This has negatively affected Young People across Norfolk

"The Matthew Project is responding to this with targeted support to young people struggling with their mental health, to help them to positively “Bounce Back” – the name of the new initiative with funding from the Government and Big Lottery.”