Children’s Mental Health Week 2024

Junior School

In the Junior School, we launched Children’s Mental Health Week with a special assembly. The theme of this year’s week is, “Your Voice Matters”. Together, we explored the different ways in which our pupils can use their voice at school. The children came up with a range of examples including: using TAG in the playground, taking ideas to school council, circle time in Reception and speaking to Mrs Crossfield in the Wellbeing Room.

We also celebrated “Express Yourself” day on Monday 5th February. The children came to school dressed in outfits that showed something of their personalities and we were able to celebrate our similarities and differences. Donations made on Express Yourself day raised over £550 for Place 2 Be.

In Year 2, we talked about all the different people who the pupils know will listen to them when they need to talk.

^{Download the ‘Do you sometimes worry about how you are feeling?’ poster}

Senior School

For Children’s Mental Health Week, the Senior School have partnered with luna — an educational health app that offers a safe space for teens to learn about their bodies, health and wellbeing. All articles, videos and answers to anonymous questions are medically verified and safety is a top priority — users cannot communicate or interact with one another. To learn more about the app, you can visit the section on their website dedicated to parents/guardians. You can also download the app.

Over four weeks, pupils participating in the luna wellbeing challenge will complete a set of online and offline activities, created in partnership with a team of medical experts at luna. Each challenge is designed to help young people establish healthy habits and positive attitudes around sleep, body image, physical activity, and mental health – habits that will help them for years to come.

Some of the activities under each week’s theme may include:

• Week 1 (Making space for your mental health): Start gratitude journaling and complete a short meditation/breathing exercise.
• Week 2 (Getting active): Try a new activity such as yoga, a dance class, a nature walk, or one of luna’s exercise routines.
• Week 3 (Creating a sleep routine): Create a bedtime “ritual” to relax and read some of luna’s articles for inspiration.
• Week 4 (Loving your body and yourself): Using the “11 positive affirmations to use daily” article for inspiration, create personal affirmations, and track your mood daily to observe the positive changes.
  The co–founder of Luna, Jas Schembri – Stothart will be visiting Croydon High on Tuesday 27 February which will also provide a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to learn more about the project.

In addition, the Senior School have been given the opportunity to partake in a series of ‘My Voice Matters’ challenges. The challenge is open to years 7 – 11 with prizes and house points for anyone who successfully completes a minimum of 6 challenges. Designed at celebrating the theme of ‘My Voice Matters’, challenges range from making presentations, researching international news stories, and making paper chains! It is totally up to each individual pupil which challenges they complete, but all are designed to encourage students to speak up and have their say on what matters to them!

Mrs Nikki Crossfield
Assistant Head (Pastoral and Outreach) of Junior School

Miss Caroline Krause
Head of PSHE