ON Friday 9th October, at St James’ C of E Primary School on Paringdon Road, children and staff supported the Young Minds campaign #HelloYellow by wearing yellow to highlight the importance of looking after mental health.

St James’, a school that embeds the promotion of a good mental health throughout its curriculum, felt today was an especially important day to remind the children of this. Everyone at the school is so proud of the resilience and courage that the children have shown throughout these unprecedented times.

Across the school, children received a mixture of lessons, focusing on the many strands that affect their mental health. During the weekly Celebration Assembly, they were reminded of things they can do to care for their minds, and daily mindfulness was performed in the normal fashion. Some classes even ended the day with a ‘try not to laugh’ challenge – in which they failed miserably!

St James’ strongly believes that the children should play an active role in leading the promotion of positive well-being. Each year, Mental Health Ambassadors are selected to encourage and support their peers in learning how to care for themselves. “We want our children to leave us ready for the big, wide world and being able to develop the skills they need in order to safeguard their mental health is a hugely important part of our school curriculum.” says Casey Cox, the Head of School.

With enhanced status for the Healthy Schools award in sight, the school continues to be focused on ensuring that the mental health of its pupils remains a priority.