A blast of bright yellow highlighted their support for mental health in young people by children at Upton Juniors in Broadstairs.
The colourful non-uniform day was part of the nationwide Hello Yellow initiative which is organised by the Young Minds charity as part of World Mental Health Day on Friday, October 8.
Pupils in every class across the age range discussed the importance of supporting mental health and what strategies they can develop to encourage positive and healthy thoughts and feelings.
Izzy Reed, Personal Development Lead at Upton, co-ordinated the Upton fund-raiser that also focused on help techniques to overcome anxieties and stress, such as speaking to a trusted adult, taking deep and calming breaths to help them feel calm, thinking of three positives things/successes for them that day; and sharing their worries with a trusted adult.
She said: “Supporting our pupils’ mental health and resilience is an Upton priority and is part of our ongoing Wellbeing curriculum. This is an essential part of helping them prepare for the next steps in their lives.”
Upton’s strong and structured support network enables girls and boys to openly discuss their feelings and anxieties.
Deputy Head of School Dave Walker said: “It is important that our children feel safe and secure, and they know that help and understanding is available whenever they need it in school.
“The Hello Yellow Day put a focus on strategies that we develop throughout the school year for our pupils, as well as raising awareness and reinforcing our values of tolerance, kindness and understanding of others. This is particularly important given the impact on our society’s mental health of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic since March 2020.”
The school raised £ £394.75 that will contribute to providing support for young people suffering with mental health.
The Young Minds charity states on its website: “More young people than ever before need support for their mental health and accessing that support quickly, can make a critical difference to those young people. Yet, most of the time those young people need to wait. And wait. And wait.
“When it feels like nothing is there for you when you need it most, you feel alone. For far too many young people, this is their reality. When they need help and can’t get it, it feels like they’re being told they don’t matter.
“We have called our strategy ‘You Matter’ because, ultimately, that is what this is all about. We need young people to know that whatever they are going through, they matter and they deserve help. And each and every one of us needs to acknowledge that, to those young people, we matter and the role we can play is vital.”
To find out more about Young Minds go online to www.youngminds.org.uk