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Pupils train as 'wellbeing prefects' to provide support for peers

Pupils train as 'wellbeing prefects' to provide support for peers

BBC Newsa day ago
A school in west Belfast is going a step further to help its pupils deal with any mental health issues by training student mentors to talk to their peers.St Dominic's Grammar on the Falls Road also runs classes to help pupils with their wellbeing and self-care.Sixth former Erin took steps to protect her mental health during her A-Levels, such as deleting TikTok off her phone "to quiet down some of that noise".She said her school promises to help if pupils share any issues or problems they are going through."Not just telling us that everything's going to be ok, but actually showing us a way forward," she said.
Caitlin, who is also in sixth form with Erin, is a student mentor."Sometimes people feel quite alone," she said."It can be quite difficult for pupils to actually make the first move to go to talk to a teacher or a student mentor like me and Erin."But she said the school had focused on "putting people in a position to take control of their mental health."The girls wear badges on their uniform which identify them as "wellbeing prefects"."If a pupil in our year group or a younger year group wants to speak to us we did receive training in how to go about helping that pupil," Caitlin said."So being able to be a younger friendly face, to make pupils feel just comfortable in being able to speak to a student."The student mentors can then consult an appropriate member of staff so that the "double promise" kicks in.
The student mentors are not expected to "solve" anything but do provide guidance, according to teacher Conrad Thomas."Our students are encouraged that if they have an issue and they don't feel comfortable with talking to me about it or one of the other members of staff, we have this team that are very approachable," he said."We're not asking that the pupils solve the problems or provide a solution but they can provide guidance and a listening ear."If there is a more serious issue they will discuss it with staff and we can take it from there."The school also provides advice to parents on talking about mental health with their children.
Children 'must think about mental health'
St Dominic's is one of many schools taking part in the Education Authority's (EA) Being Well Doing Well programme, which aims to help pupils with their mental health and wellbeing.Rathcoole Primary is also taking part in the programme and its principal Emma Quinn told BBC News NI that it was important to get children to think about their mental health from a young age."I think sometimes families and adults and carers maybe find it very difficult," she said."They think, 'if I talk about these feelings it'll encourage my child to feel a certain way'."It won't, we're all human and noticing that you're feeling angry, you're feeling frustrated, it's a part of life and being very open and honest from the early stages, particularly nursery and even before, is absolutely crucial."
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Exclusive: Watchdog upholds nearly 100% of complaints about special educational needs in England
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Exclusive: Watchdog upholds nearly 100% of complaints about special educational needs in England

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Times letters: Long-term fixes for the failures of the NHS
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time3 hours ago

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Times letters: Long-term fixes for the failures of the NHS

Sir, While there is much to like in the ten-year plan for the NHS ('NHS app to give patients a 'doctor in your pocket'', news; 'Sacred Cow', leading article, Jul 4) nobody will be convinced by it without the government providing specific annual milestones for internal project management, and by which the public can judge whether after ten years the plan is likely to have been achieved. If the government is itself convinced that the plan is a good one, it will already have worked out what it needs to achieve in the next 12 months to make sure the plan is on track, and of course in each year thereafter. Maybe the government should consider publishing what the milestones are so it can show the public real progress is being made. If it doesn't, one can only assume that it is not confident that it will achieve its milestones (or worse, hasn't yet decided what they are). 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John Orton Bristol Sir, My husband's cancer treatment has involved three hospitals and many departments within those hospitals. I endorse what Wes Streeting says about the need for medical data to be easily accessible ('We will end 8am scramble for a GP', Jul 4). Staff do not have all my husband's information in one place and it has been exhausting having continually to explain the side-effects, treatment and what my husband needs at every appointment, including emergency admissions. We are still reasonably articulate but we wonder what happens to those who are not able to fight their corner. The staff themselves have been wonderful and I am sure the situation is as frustrating for them as it is for us. Cynthia Blades Chichester, West Sussex Sir, How can the government claim its health plan will 'prevent sickness' when a proposal to warn people of the health risks of alcohol, the second biggest cause of death and disability among working-age people, are watered down after 'a furious response from the industry' (news, Jul 2)? Who is running this country? The elected government or the unelected drinks industry? Glyn Sloman Holt, Norfolk Sir, A more efficient, technologically adept NHS, less hospital-based and where information is more easily accessed is an essential part of the solution to our problems. But it must be combined with people taking greater responsibility for their health, including diet, exercise and cutting down on smoking and drinking. Tony Hunter Former chief executive, Social Care Institute for Excellence, Woodford, Essex Sir, Your reference to Rachel Reeves ('Tears on front bench were a personal matter', Jul 3) highlights how uncomfortable the British still are with public displays of emotion. Crying isn't a sign of weakness, but the physical manifestation of emotional turmoil. We should all learn to be more understanding. Following the death of our eldest child in 2016 I frequently cried in public. This often resulted in fellow passengers — exclusively men — changing seats without saying a word or pedestrians crossing the road to avoid me. If you really want to make your fellow man uncomfortable, crying while using a public urinal at the local supermarket will clear the room quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. Richard Houghton Great Missenden, Bucks Sir, The correspondence from your readers on Sir Keir Starmer's leadership (letters, Jul 3) is all focused on finger pointing. Not a single constructive suggestion is made. We live in an age where the sheer volume and speed of events both nationally and internationally comes dangerously close to making conventional governance impossible. This is the perfect Petri dish for the incubation of demagoguery and dictatorships. We should be more prepared to support our elected leaders. Nicholas Oppenheim London SW6 Sir, I am one of those consultants who has left the NHS to work exclusively in the private sector (letters, Jul 3 & 4). At the age of 62 I fear what this government may do to my pension and have, therefore, taken it early. It also means I can continue to strive to practise medicine to the highest standards and not have to engage in what I perceive as the NHS drive to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator. My wife, a GP of 35 years, and I fear there will be no one left to look after us in our old age. Simon Marsh Consultant surgeon, Ipswich, Suffolk Sir, It is baffling why Fraser Nelson's article on the welfare trap and the easy solution he outlines is not being adopted by Labour ('How Liz Kendall can stop this national sickness', comment, Jun 28). Allowing — indeed almost encouraging — the young to game the system as it stands exacerbates any underlying mental health problems. There is a mass of evidence to suggest that employment is good for mental health. Meanwhile, there is a desperate need for people to work in the building trade if we are to get anywhere close to Labour's target of building 1.5 million houses over the life of this parliament. Instead of signing people off sick, give them an incentive to train as plumbers, electricians or any other of the skills required by housebuilders. Reversing the national insurance rise for people under 25 to encourage employers to take them on would provide a further incentive. 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Anthony Jennings London WC1 Sir, If it is possible to decommission the royal train because the royal family no longer use it (letters, Jul 3 & 4) is it not also possible to decommission the titles still used by the King's youngest son on the basis that he (and his wife) are no longer of any discernible use to the people of this country? Rob Green Braintree, Essex Sir, I notice with some amusement, and indeed amazement, that there were two letters to the editor on the same day from Hartley Wintney in Hampshire (Jul 3). Is this a record? Sophia Bennett Hartley Wintney, Hants Write to letters@

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