Whitstable Junior School has just been awarded SILVER status in the Carnegie Mental Health in Schools Award and we are absolutely delighted.

We started on our Mental Health Award journey in September 2019. Ms Collin became our Mental Health Lead and had the task of evidencing all that we do.

The award has enabled us to self-assess and reflect on our wellbeing offer and practices. It has meant that we have looked at the impact of our interventions and considered new strategies and initiatives which have further developed awareness and understanding of mental health.

Well-being and mental health has always been at the heart of WJS, but this award has meant that it is now truly embedded into our school ethos and across our whole school community thus benefitting the children, staff and parents of the school. It has helped us to build on our understanding of mental health needs and increase and spread awareness while removing any stigma around these needs.

We are incredibly proud to have been awarded the SILVER Status by the assessors at Leeds Beckett University. Our assessor stated that, ‘Whitstable Junior School has presented a wide-ranging profile of evidence that demonstrates strong practice well-developed in school and some examples of significant impact on a range of stakeholders. The school has used the framework and content of the Award to good effect to develop their mental health and wellbeing strategies, structures, and practices.’ Our next step is to go for gold by sharing our good practice at a wider, national level