Pupils at Hydesville Tower School in Walsall joined over 45,000 children and young people around the world to draw attention to the vital role of mental wellbeing in education.

Hydesville collapsed the curriculum for the entire day to mark Global Be Well Day, a worldwide event led by Cognita, the group of 74 schools of which Hydesville Tower School is a member.

With children ranging in age from 3 to 16 years old, the challenge at Hydesville Tower School was to create a meaningful series of events that would have value immediately but also for the months and years to come. Big favourites included the Animal Café, with time to pet and look after a range of animals; Zumba and kickboxing to get the pulse raising; meditation and yoga to help promote calm and mindfulness; and lots and lots of smiles.

Warren Honey, Headmaster at Hydesville Tower School, said:

“this was a wonderful opportunity for the Hydesville community to come together and put mental health in the spotlight. As a school, we value the person and their emotional wellbeing, so planning these events felt a natural opportunity to prepare our children for the various challenges of life.

“The School’s Mental Health Champion Aimee Kingston was instrumental in designing elements of the day, and all the staff were involved at various stages to promote the initiative.”

Global Be Well Day emanated from conversations between the global leaders last October, and a commitment to action in all the Cognita schools. Resources from world experts in sleep and nutrition, alongside the shared ideas for activities have helped this initiative reach over 45,000 students, 7,000 staff and countless parents and families.