🌿 Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week at The Element
This week, we come together as a school community to recognise and honour Mental Health Awareness Week — a time to reflect, connect, and champion the importance of wellbeing for all.
At The Element, mental health is not a conversation we reserve for a single week in May — it’s a commitment we live out daily in our classrooms and playgrounds. We believe every child, every adult and every voice in our community deserves to feel seen, safe and supported.
💬 A Thought Piece by Maria Langan
Inclusion and Belonging Mentor / ELSA / RMT Assessor at The Element Primary
“Mental health isn’t always about huge moments or dramatic breakdowns. Sometimes, it’s just about feeling like someone gets you — that you’re not invisible. That’s where schools can make the biggest difference.
In my role, I’ve seen how powerful a simple check-in, a shared smile, or a moment of patience can be. Our children carry so much more than we often realise, and by building emotional literacy into our school culture, we give them tools not just to survive, but to thrive.
Inclusion and belonging aren’t just policies — they’re lived values. And Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect, nurture and uplift one another. Let’s keep building a culture where talking about mental health is not brave — it’s just normal.”
— Maria Langan
💡 Our Approach to Wellbeing
Across our centres, we embed the principles of wellbeing in everything we do — from ELSA support and restorative practices to mindfulness sessions, movement breaks and creating safe spaces for children to self-regulate. Mental health is not treated as an add-on, but as an essential part of every child’s learning journey.
This week, we’re engaging in:
- 🧠 Mindful Mornings in every class
- 🎨 Creative expression workshops to help children explore their feelings
- 🤝 Circle time discussions around kindness, empathy, and resilience
- 🌳 Nature walks and sensory breaks to promote calm and focus
📣 Let’s Keep Talking
Whether you’re a parent, carer, staff member or pupil — your mental health matters. Let’s continue to normalise talking about how we feel, checking in with each other, and asking for help when we need it.
To our brilliant team, thank you for showing up every day with compassion and care. To our young people, thank you for your courage and openness. And to our families, thank you for walking alongside us.
This week, and every week, we choose kindness. We choose connection. We choose to put mental health at the heart of what we do.
If you or someone you know needs extra support, our pastoral team is always here to listen. Reach out. You are never alone.
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #ReflectRestoreReenergise #ElementCares #InclusionAndBelonging #HFCMAT