World Mental Health Day awareness in school – Friday 9th October

World Mental Health Day 2020 is the most important one yet. This year has been a tough one for us all. The months of lockdown and loss have had a huge impact on our mental health. According to research, we know that more than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown. Many have developed new mental health problems as a result of the pandemic and, for some of us, existing mental health problems have gotten worse. As a school, we take the mental health of all children and adults very seriously.  To raise awareness of this important subject we would like children to dress a little differently this Friday (9^th October).  We do not require a donation for this; the purpose is to raise awareness of this very topical issue.  Children do not have to wear uniform on this day and have the option of:

• Wearing a yellow item of clothing
• Face painted (yellow)
• Wearing a yellow accessory (eg. cap/hair slide/ribbon)

We do not want this day to be an extra expense for parents, so please do not buy any items especially for the day.  As mentioned above, children can just come to school in non-uniform if needed. We will be encouraging children on Friday to do one mindful thing.  Whether it's going for a walk, learning a new skill or doing something creative, taking the first steps to getting support for yourself, or reaching out to someone else; take the opportunity to do one thing this World Mental Health Day. Thanks for your support and I am sure you will agree that this is something all of our children need to be aware of. Kind regards Mr Appleby and staff