In a heartwarming display of enthusiasm, a group of Year 5 pupils have stepped forward to become HeadStarters at their school. These young champions are eager to make a difference by promoting mental health and supporting their peers. Their application forms, filled with honest reasons and creative ideas, have left the HeadStart team buzzing with excitement.
These pupils have already shown a remarkable understanding of the importance of mental health. In their applications, they shared stories of how they’ve supported friends, recognised signs of stress in classmates and even helped boost everyone’s mood. “I am a good listener and care about other people.” wrote one applicant, while another mentioned, “I think everybody should have a friend that helps them …. and respects”.
The HeadStart team, couldn’t be more thrilled to work with these compassionate young minds. “At St Benedict’s we value the unique training pathway opportunity for our children to understand the key areas of mental and emotional well-being enabling them to develop a positive mindset, being able to manage emotions and self-care to grow resilience to bounce back from the many challenges on their journey in life.,” says the school’s Mental Health Lead.
The Headteacher “Having HeadStarters in our school compliments our vision of treating each other with care, respect, love, and aspire to be the best we can be and to shine.” The school values the HeadStarters, saying “Our Year 5 children are very keen to follow in the footsteps of our Silver and Gold HeadStarters and to take part in the HeadStarters Educational Pathway Bronze award to become Mental Health Champions for our school.”.
The training for these future HeadStarters will start this term and pupils will learn about the importance of self-care, the power of positive thinking and how to recognise when someone might need a little extra support. They’ll also gain skills in communication, empathy and problem-solving – all crucial for their role.
These young champions are proving that you’re never too young to make a difference and with their dedication, the future looks brighter than ever!
Published: October 17