Reddam Reading

04 Summer Term

Mental Health Week

We celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week with a variety of events designed to raise awareness of emotional wellbeing and how this links to resilience and general mental health. We also touched on the importance of sleep and how the teenage brain works.

We constantly remind students that ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ and have many systems in place across the school to support wellbeing. We encourage students to share their feelings and reach out if they need someone to talk to.

Events included David Wheeler, a professional footballer for Wycombe Wanderers, who delivered a RED talk on anxiety. He shared his personal experiences on this subject and it was fantastic for students to hear the message that anyone, no matter how successful, can be affected by a range of mental health issues. There was also a Sixth Form wellbeing committee and peer mentors who encouraged students to drop in for a chat. During the week, students enjoyed wellbeing walks, A2B lessons focused on a range of related topics, there was a crocheting session and mindfulness as well.

Carrying The Burden

To show that there is more to mental health than meets the eye, and that it isn’t always possible to see what people are dealing with, students and teachers from Years 8 to 13 created a challenge whereby they were handcuffed to an 8kg weight for 24 hours. They carried it with them everywhere before passing it to the next person.