A DERBY special school has performed its own version of a dance made famous on social media platform TikTok to mark the end of Children’s Mental Health Week.
Staff at St Giles School in Derby – the city’s only special primary school – have been busting a move to ‘Friday’ by Mufasa and Hypeman; the dance made famous by celebrities including Katy Perry. There are guest appearances from pupils and even the school’s NHS nurse, Zoe Everingham, with staff divided into groups to perform a dance-off, with parents and carers being asked to vote for their favourite group on social media.
It comes after the school, in Hampshire Road, was presented with a silver award from The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools.
Praise was given for the way the school has supported pupils, families and staff during the coronavirus pandemic with training of Mental Health First Aiders playing a valuable role in supporting children and adult’s mental health.
READ MORE: St Giles pupils beat Coronavirus blues with hand-crafted Christmas cards for care home residents
Other initiatives to support staff wellbeing has included reducing workload, team building activities to boost morale, a staff dance-off competition and making best use of the school’s outdoor Forest School facilities – bonfires and marshmallows – full PPE, while also boosting morale with the likes of a staff quiz.
The school’s NHS nurse, Zoe, was also described by the assessor as “incredibly supportive” to pupils and their families.
Karen Toulson, assistant head teacher at St Giles School and mental health lead, said: “We work closely with a variety of organisations and individuals and are very proud of the support we are able to offer.
“Every staff member has been amazing since returning to school in September, despite their own concerns and their own family circumstances. It can be a challenging place to work at the best of times, but their hard work shows their commitment to providing a safe and enjoyable place for children to learn.
“We thought that we’d do the video as a bit of fun to mark the end of Children’s Mental Health Week.”
The school hopes to increase the occupational therapists’ hours, whose work was described as “invaluable”, using its catch-up funding, as this is where the children have been most affected by lockdown.
Parents and carers have been offered their own wellbeing support, as well as assistance in supporting their child – including good links to many external agencies, such as social care.
And children at the school, many who have life-limiting illnesses, have been introduced to new wellbeing initiatives such as ‘worry monsters’ and ‘worry jars’ for more able pupils, as well as a consistent system of symbols to communicate their emotions to others .
Lucinda Powell, who assessed St Giles School on behalf of The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools, applauded them for putting these systems in place.
She said: “They (St Giles) fully understand that the child should be considered as a whole and that knowing what is going on in pupils’ lives outside of school is vital in ensuring that school is a safe place to be and to learn.
“St Giles School works closely with a variety of other organisations and individuals – including mainstream schools – to advocate inclusivity.”
Executive headteacher, Clive Lawrence said: “We are immensely proud of our silver award, as it recognises the hard work of our collective school community, who work tirelessly to meet the needs of all pupils at St Giles School.
“Wellbeing and mental health are extremely important to us, especially at the moment when things are so uncertain and children are more vulnerable. Staff are therefore fully trained to understand each child’s special needs and adapt accordingly to provide them with the right support.”
The award was established in 2017 by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools – part of Leeds Beckett University – and social enterprise Minds Ahead.
The scheme aims to strengthen pupils’ mental health by supporting schools to make a positive change at all levels of the UK’s education system, improving students’ outcomes and life chances.
READ MORE: Teachers at Derby special school St Giles releases emotional video in support of their community
