Colourful display to mark Children’s Mental Health Week at Oasis Academy Oldham

Staff and Students took part

Staff, pupils, and support workers at Oasis Academy Oldham have marked Children’s Mental Health Week in a flurry of bright yellow.

Yellow t-shirts, dresses, shirts, headbands, and ties were amongst the brightly coloured items worn by everyone taking part.  The colourful display helped launch a week of activities aimed at highlighting children’s mental health at the school.

Children’s Mental Health Week is spearheaded by Place2be, a children’s mental health charity with over 25 years’ experience working with pupils, families, and staff in UK schools.

Oasis Academy Oldham have kicked off the week by an ‘It’s all yellow’ day to raise awareness amongst the children on the importance of good mental health and the services that Place2be offer within school, and to collect donations for children’s charities.

Gemma Hale, Curriculum leader of PSHE (Personal, social, health and economic education) said “We wanted to create a palpable buzz amongst our young people and really get them talking about the issue of mental health as its such an important part of their wellbeing”.

Kelly Richmond, the school’s Place2Be project leader, said the last two years have been particularly challenging for young people: “Since the pandemic, demand for our service has massively increased, and we need to do all that we can to ensure that we provide it.”

Activities have taken place in lesson times, morning tutor time, and PSHE lessons during the week, and this has also been used to promote the break time activities led by the academy’s student wellbeing ambassadors.   The wellbeing ambassadors organised stalls with flyers and information about self-care, tips on wellbeing for young people and how to ask for help if needed.  

The week cumulated in the ‘Wear Yellow’ day for students on Friday.

Marie Dillon, Academy Principal said, “It’s been a great week, the students’ wellbeing is at the very heart of our core values and Nine Habits so it goes without saying that Children’s Mental Health Week needed to have the impact for which it is intended, these are the issues we need to talk about with our young people.”

This weekend, to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Place2Be's Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, read a Bedtime Story on CBeebies.

The Duchess has chosen to read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson. The book follows the story of Plop, a baby barn owl, who is helped by others to grow in confidence and overcome his fears.

The story is available on BBC iplayer.

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