This week, we are marking National Mental Health Awareness Week, with the theme “There is Power in Community.”
We launched this theme last Friday in assembly, where we heard inspiring updates from Year 1–6 about their community projects – It’s been wonderful to see how each class has embraced the power of community.
At Surrey Square, we believe that the children should be empowered to build a better world for themselves and others. We want to give them the practical tools to do this and show them how it is done. Developing self-efficacy gives children a powerful belief in themselves that will have a positive impact on their personal and academic development. Our community projects are key to this.
Using inspiring resources from organisations such as Superkind and Citizens UK, each year group and class have chosen a project that is significant to them and their community.
Have a look at the progress each class has made below and keep an eye out for real solutions to these problems in the near future.
Year 1 – Sustainable Living for All
Year 1 has focused on the importance of having the right resources in homes and communities to thrive. They learned the difference between needs and wants, and each student created 3D models of their ideal communities. Their goal is to raise awareness by presenting their needs lists to a housing association and to create a mini Surrey Square community. They will host a fun day at Marketplace on May 24th to showcase their project.
Year 2 – Hygiene Awareness
Year 2 has been working to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene. They have designed posters and created a video about "Pesky Germs" to encourage handwashing around the school. Their project was inspired by Anik Singh’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They aim to ensure every classroom has soap and to help the school community understand the importance of proper hand hygiene.
Year 3 – Healthy Lifestyles
Year 3’s project focuses on promoting healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise. In partnership with Alive and Kicking, they learned about nutrition, portion sizes, and the importance of sleep and exercise. They created informative slides and a Kahoot quiz to teach others in the school about healthy living, helping the wider community make better choices for their well-being.
Year 4 – Encouraging Biodiversity
Year 4's project focuses on improving engagement with the biodiversity area in the playground. They have written persuasive letters to the school and designed posters to encourage others to respect and interact with nature. Their success will be measured by how many children engage with the biodiversity area, with a summer scavenger hunt planned to raise awareness.
Year 5 – Tackling Air Pollution
Year 5 has been addressing the problem of air pollution, which is linked to thousands of deaths each year in the UK. They collaborated with science students from UCL to identify the most polluted areas locally and surveyed the school to track their travel habits. Their goal is to promote walking along routes with cleaner air and raising awareness about roads which are the most polluted.
Year 6 – Boys' Mental Health, Inequality in Education, and Migrant Poverty
Year 6 tackled three major issues: boys’ mental health, inequality in education, and poverty among migrant children. They have written persuasive speeches, surveyed their peers, and presented their findings to leaders. Their goal is to increase access to mental health support for boys, ensure a more representative curriculum at SSQ, and raise awareness about the financial struggles faced by migrant families.
