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In his role as Pupil Deputy Head of School (Wellbeing), Sam champions the importance of mental health and wellbeing so that it becomes a normalized part of every pupil’s school experience.

Sam has been at Highgate since he was three, and is currently studying Maths, Geography and Economics A levels. He is captain of the first football team, attends Geography Society each week, and is a member of the committee for Jewish Circle, one of our many faith groups at Highgate.

What does your role as Pupil Deputy Head of School (Wellbeing) involve?
This year, for the first time, the pupil Deputy Heads of School have been assigned a specific area of responsibility to focus on. Sophia and I meet weekly with the Head of Pupil Wellbeing, Miss Christian, to discuss initiatives and what we can do to improve the wellbeing of our school community.

So far this year, we have given assemblies in the Senior and Junior Schools during Mental Health Awareness Week. We explained to the younger pupils what mental health is, to try and reduce the stigma from a young age, which I think is so important. We used the video from Inside Out, which they loved. For the Senior School, we recorded a video with soundbites from pupils all over the school, to encourage everyone to talk about mental health in a natural way.

We’ve also had a focus on men’s mental health, because it can often be harder for men to open up about their struggles and their feelings. Last week, for Men’s Health Awareness Month, we ran an event for boys in the younger years (Y10 and below) to meet informally, play some card and board games, and chat. Charlie Sexton, our Wellbeing Practitioner was there to help, and he’s a nice guy. It was basically just an opportunity for boys to socialise and enjoy themselves, even if they’re not talking about mental health. Hopefully it will have helped to reduce the stigma in that way, and now that they’ve met some of the Wellbeing department, they might be more likely to approach them in the future if they need help. We had a great turnout; I was very pleased.

This year, all members of Highgate’s Pupil Leadership Team undertook Peer Mental Health training. How did you find that experience and has it helped you support others?
Near the end of the summer term, we spent a day off timetable to learn more about mental health, what it takes to be a mental health champion, and looking at some scenarios that we might encounter. It was very valuable, and everyone came out feeling much more confident in their abilities to act appropriately in situations with younger students and how they can be a good leader around the school.

The scenarios really stuck with me, and very soon after I happened to encounter something similar, where a younger student ran into the toilet in tears. I just happened to be there and was able to support them using the things we had learned in our training, so it was a positive experience in that sense.

As Peer Mental Health Champions, we receive ongoing training to cover difficult topics like low mood and suicidal ideation, trauma and grief – exploring how to talk about these subjects and act appropriately if we were to encounter such conversations.

What other provisions are available for pupils, in terms of wellbeing support?
It’s really accessible to everyone. There’s lots of information about wellbeing on Hero (our online pupil portal). We are always encouraged to speak to a trusted member of staff if we need to talk. For me, I would turn to my Head of House or Miss Christian, who are both amazing. They might also put you in touch with the Wellbeing team if necessary. There are drop-in sessions at the Wellbeing Hub and a Wellbeing Garden, where you can relax and clear your head.

All the pupil leaders have a green lanyard, to show that they’ve undertaken Peer Mental Health Training, so that younger pupils can come and chat to them. As Sixth Formers, we’ve been through a lot of the experiences before, so if they have any questions, then that’s a good resource.

We have quite a lot of interaction with younger years through the house system. We are put into ‘House Families’ with a person from each year group, to give everyone a chance to discuss whatever you want – exams, what subjects to pick, or anything you might be struggling with. I’ve recently taken on a mentoring programme with a Y8 pupil who’s been struggling a bit with school. It’s pretty informal, but we’ve met a couple of times to chat and discuss how he’s feeling. I think he’s enjoyed it and found it valuable.

How are pupils supported through challenging periods, such as exams?
Having done my GCSEs, I remember that there were a few assemblies from the Head of Middle School to talk about how to cope with the stress. Mr Newton, Deputy Head (Academic), also recommended choosing a ‘comfort word’ to focus on before your exams. For me, I changed that to comfort song, so before every exam, I’d listen to my comfort song.

Highgate might have this reputation from the outside that we are so focused on exams, because the grades are amazing, but I genuinely think there is the perfect balance here. Obviously, there’s great teaching, but it’s not all focused on exams, and we cover a lot of topics beyond the syllabus. You can feel that the teachers are making a conscious effort to not constantly talk about exams, making it a nice environment to learn in, and it reduces the stress.

How do you look after your own mental health?
I play loads of football, in and out of school! It’s definitely a coping strategy for me. I think one of the main things about playing sports, especially as a team, is that human interaction. Getting up and out of the house, seeing your friends at the weekend or at training, it’s a really good way to reduce stress. When I’m on the pitch, I just forget everything else, which is lovely. And you feel great after doing any exercise.

I speak to my parents – that’s always important. Just to tell people how you’re feeling helps to let out some of the tension.

I’m really enjoying being Deputy Head – it’s nice to be able to have that impact on the school and be a bridge between students, pupil voice and teachers, so it feels great to bring something to the table.