Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill has welcomed £2500 of funding from UKSE to support the introduction of dedicated mental health training for senior pupils.
Pupils undertaking the SQA National 5 Mental Health and Wellbeing course will also use their new skills to support their peers and raise awareness about mental health across the school.
The Health and Wellbeing Award was first introduced into the school’s curriculum in 2014, and more than 150 pupils are now accredited with the SQA qualification. The National 5 Mental Health and Wellbeing builds on this already successful middle school certification.
In addition to undertaking the SQA National 5 award in the 2024-25 academic year, 40 pupils will participate in an additional certification. This dedicated training course will equip pupils to promote and contribute to the school’s mental health and wellbeing agenda.
Senior pupils will be tasked with setting up a ‘safe space’ which will encourage peer to peer support, designed to help young people understand their emotional development. This support hub will be available to the approximately 890 pupils across the school.
The training will also introduce pupils to the Solihull Approach, an internationally-recognised and evidence-based method of understanding young people’s emotional health and wellbeing.
Laura Ferguson, PE teacher at Cardinal High School, has played an integral role in shaping the training programme.
She said: “The SQA National 5 Mental Health and Wellbeing course is very significant, and we are very proud to be one of the first schools in Scotland to introduce it into our curriculum.
“With this generous financial support from UKSE, students can access additional accreditations that will allow them to support not only their fellow pupils at Cardinal Newman High School but equip them with lifelong skills to support their mental health.
“We are proud to offer a safe space for young people to chat about their emotions and how they feel, but we are always looking at ways to build upon this and look forward to inspiring more pupils to learn about the importance of mental health.”
Michele Johnson, zdministrator at UKSE, said: “It is extremely rewarding to support Cardinal Newman High School with its proactive and inspiring approach to raising awareness about mental health across the school community. We’re really looking forward to learning how the next cohort of Wellbeing Warriors benefit from the UKSE funding.”
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