Mental health is big news today. The government is making children’s mental health a priority with a new compulsory health curriculum in September 2021 that will teach children how to look after their mental wellbeing and recognise when friends are struggling. It seems as though everyone is talking about mental health right now. Why? Because the stigma about mental health is changing. With ambassadors like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge working with the mental health initiative Heads Together, the conversation around mental health is normalising; as we all have physical health, so we all have mental health too.
But surely children are too young to have poor mental health, aren’t they? Unfortunately not. Young Minds, the UK’s leading charity fighting for children’s mental health, estimate that approximately three children in every classroom suffer with a mental health disorder. This is the challenge all schools find themselves facing– but what can we meaningfully do to help when we’re not experts in mental health?
At Coppice Valley, our journey into children’s mental health came about several years ago with a lunchtime Calm Club. We set this up as a quiet place for children who were struggling socially at lunchtimes or just wanted some peace and quiet, always with a member of staff on hand to chat to. Around the same time, staffs’ own interests in mindfulness and meditation led to school-wide teaching of mindful doodling, guided meditation and Qi-Gong. From these small steps into the world of mental health, we began to notice the immediate benefits on children’s emotional well-being. Seeing the difference we were making, we began to evolve a whole school mental health strategy.
Over the years, we have built a strong mental health offer for all our pupils that is now as important to us as our academic provision. Mental health is part of the curriculum for every year group in personal, social and health education lessons. We have mental health ambassadors and celebrate Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week with workshops to raise awareness. We’re currently working with the Carnegie School of Education to gain accreditation for our work with a Schools Mental Health Award. Five years on, we’ve become passionate advocates for mental health, not just for our own school, but all children. We make videos about our work to share online with other schools.
If you’re nervous about talking to your child about mental health, try this. Just think about it in the same way you would physical health. You teach your children the benefits of exercise and healthy eating for their bodies. Teach them about the benefits of acknowledging emotions, meditation and exercise have for their minds. Still unsure? Why not start with some picture books about feelings? Sweep by Louise Greig is an exploration of angry feelings and Happy by Nicola Edwards introduces children to mindfulness.
Healthy attitudes towards talking about mental health is the first step for all of us who are serious about good mental health so why not start by asking your child, “How are you feeling today?”
Emma Meadus Headteacher Coppice Valley Primary School, proud member of the Red Kite Learning Trust
