A LOCAL SCHOOL in Tottenham, Borough of Haringey has seen it’s mentors receive an award at the largest celebration of excellence in the UK healthcare ceremony earlier this week.
Park View, Haringey Adolescent Outreach Team and others won the HSJ Award for ‘Innovation in Mental Health’, The Time 2 Talk pilot project used drama, film making, teaching and peer support to tackle the issue of mental ill health.
A partnership of agencies have been running the team since September 2013. Anonymous case studies of young people who had experienced serious emotional distress were used for student drama workshops. The theatre performance was then turned into a film called The Boy Behind the Mask. The film was used as a guide for the development of lesson plans for a module on mental health and emotional wellbeing, for all students in years 9 and 10.
Mentors were then selected to support the emotional wellbeing of their peers. Training and guidance was developed for staff and parents and a mental health policy was also made for the whole school.
The trust said the project had much to offer other schools, and showed the potential of empowering young people. Judges hailed ‘impressive leadership’ on the project and praised its peer involvement. “Well done to our students for all their hard work.” said the trust.
Park View is a community school based in Tottenham, which has continued to see a transformation over the last decade. Judged Good with Outstanding Leadership in the recent Ofsted, the school continues to strive towards excellence. As one of the most diverse secondary schools in the UK, students are given opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities that will prepare them for life beyond school, ensuring that each individual can maximise their potential.