On Wednesday this week, 20 Year 9 students from Carisbrooke College and 18 Year 9 students from Medina College gathered together at our Island VI Form for induction and training on our Peer Education Programme (PEP). This is a secondary school-based educational project developed by the Mental Health Foundation that aims to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard their mental health and that of their peers. These students will then use their training and knowledge to deliver lessons on Understanding Mental Health to Year 7 tutor students later in the year. We will also be looking to encourage these PEP students as active Mental Health Ambassadors in our school community, providing peer support to our younger students at break/lunchtimes and school events. At Carisbrooke College, students will also be helping out in the new Wellbeing Room.

Embedding this crucial mental health knowledge within the curriculum supports our whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing and creates a unique learning opportunity for our older students. Our new PEP cohort demonstrated outstanding effort and enthusiasm in the day’s training and we are very excited to see them in action next year at Carisbrooke and Medina!

Mrs. Guy, Mrs. Peckham and Miss. James