• Top prize of £5,000 and two runner-up prizes of £2,500
• Nine regional highly-commended awards
• Esteemed judging panel led by Katherine Weare, Emeritus Professor
of Education and Honorary Member, Faculty of Public Health
Friday 22nd March saw
the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition launch its
Resilience and Results Competition, and calling on primary and secondary
schools to showcase their best practice approaches to improving the mental
health and emotional wellbeing of their pupils.
Open to all schools in
England, the competition gives schools an exciting chance to win a financial
prize, kindly provided by Zurich Community Trust: the winning school will
receive £5,000, with two runners-up getting £2,500 to invest in their mental
health and emotional wellbeing programmes. There will also be nine
‘Highly-Commended’ awards, one per England region, to be won. By entering the
competition schools will also be in with an exciting chance to have their best
practice approaches profiled in a digital showcase that the Coalition will
share with schools across the country.
Around three children in
every class suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder,[1]
and the inextricable link between positive mental health and academic
attainment is increasingly being recognised. Having published guidance for
schools, ‘Resilience and Results: How to
improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of children and young people in your
school’ (September 2012), the Coalition is now inviting schools to enter
its competition and demonstrate how they are making mental health and emotional
wellbeing support for their pupils both a reality and a priority.
Mick
Atkinson, Chair of Schools and Colleges for the Children & Young People’s
Mental Health Coalition, said:
“Children’s mental health
and emotional wellbeing directly impacts on their learning in the classroom,
their academic attainment, and their overall life chances. Schools can play a
hugely important role in providing their pupils with the support they need to
flourish, at the time when they need it.
“We
are encouraged by the government’s pledge; “Better health outcomes for children
and young people,” whichcommits the Department of Health to doing everything it
can to improve the health of children and young people. The Resilience and
Results Competition gives schools the opportunity to share how they embed
mental health and emotional wellbeing support in their school cultures.
Furthermore the examples captured through the competition will become a
resource that is made available to schools across England, offering best
practice approaches to supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of
pupils.”
Simon
Marshall, Headteacher at Highfield Community Primary School, said:
“It
is hugely important that schools take active steps to ensure that their pupils
are supported not just academically but also outside of the classroom, to help
them to grow up as mentally healthy and emotionally resilient individuals.
“The
guidance published for schools by the Coalition is a useful tool that can help
schools to provide their pupils with the mental health and emotional wellbeing
support that they need. Supporting pupils in this way is key to helping them on
their journey to achieving their full potential.”
A
panel of esteemed judges, led by Katherine Weare, Emeritus Professor of
Education andHonorary Member at the Faculty of Public Health, will select the
winning school and runners-up in June, with all winning entries being showcased
on the Coalition website.
All
schools in England will be sent an entry pack and invited to submit an entry to
the Resilience and Results Competition that outlines their approaches to:
promoting emotional wellbeing and mental health, tackling behavioural and
emotional difficulties, demonstrating pupil and parent involvement, and
innovation in the commissioning and delivery of services. Schools will be asked
to evidence their successes through a written submission and also supplementary
materials where possible including video, photography and staff and student
testimonials.
The closing date for all entries to the Resilience and Results Competition is 6 May 2013. Further information about applying can be found at: www.cypmhc.org.uk/schools_competition_2013
The closing date for all entries to the Resilience and Results Competition is 6 May 2013. Further information about applying can be found at: www.cypmhc.org.uk/schools_competition_2013
[1] Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., et al. (2005).
Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004. London:
Palgrave.
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