Bredon School's mental health action group

At Bredon School, we have an established and enthusiastic mental health action group who meet on a regular basis. The group is comprised of members from across the school community, including members of the senior leadership team, teachers, governors, pupils and a parent representative. It was really important to us to have every area of the school community represented - as the key overarching aim of the group is to implement and review a whole-school approach to mental health, using the 5 Steps as a guide. So far, the group has taken on a number of different responsibilities, including: • planning wellbeing events throughout the year, including staff sports teams, swimming, regular dog walks and a student wellbeing week • working closely with all stakeholders including parents, staff and students • sourcing and sharing quality-assured mental health and wellbeing resources • organizing staff training on mental health topics • holding regular coffee mornings for parents where the group can share updates on their work • providing signposting to services and support agencies in the local area, as well as online support. One of the main aims that the group are hoping to achieve next year is to train a core group of mental health first aid staff, who will lead the way in providing staff peer mentorship and coaching. In May 2022 we won the “Wellbeing and Mental Health Initiative Award” at the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) Supporting Excellence Annual Awards. Our learning in how to measure and monitor what we do, and its paramount importance, is also thanks to the mental health lead training.