At Mindapples, our goal is to help everyone understand how their minds work and take practical steps to take care of them. This month, our work in schools has been all about putting that into practice. Across London, students and staff have been exploring how small, everyday actions can make a big difference to their mental health and wellbeing. Our work helps people to see that mental health is relevant to them, that they can influence how they feel, and that caring for their minds can become a natural part of daily life.
What happened this month
Beckmead College: staff wellbeing
Andy ran Master Your Moods with 40 members of staff. Together they explored the relationship between moods and emotions, and how moods affect our concentration, motivation and productivity. They looked at how to monitor and manage mood by balancing our levels of tension and energy, and shared practical tips and techniques for managing our emotional reactions and regulating our moods to support our health and wellbeing.
Beckmead College: student assemblies
Andrea led Sleep Well sessions for Years 10, 11 and 12. In these workshops, students discovered how sleep affects our minds, bodies and emotions. We looked at what happens when we don’t get enough rest, how tiredness can impact our mood and ability to concentrate, and why good sleep is so important for our overall wellbeing. Students learned about sleep cycles and shared ideas for improving bedtime routines, how to manage screen time better and finding ways to rest and recharge more effectively.
Leyton Sixth Form College: student wellbeing
Andrea delivered Feed Your Mind sessions to over 200 students aged 16-19, introducing how our minds have evolved, why they work the way they do and why it’s so important to take care of them. Students considered how what we do each day, shapes how we think and feel and how our actions and environment affect our minds. They also reflected on what they already do that’s good for their minds, thinking about the daily habits they already have in place that support their wellbeing. Andrea will return to Leyton next week to continue the programme with more groups of young people, supporting the college’s commitment to student wellbeing.
Why this matters?
Our work in schools reflects the Department for Education’s guidance on promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The guidance sets out eight principles for a whole-school approach, including leadership, ethos, curriculum and staff development. Mindapples sessions such as Master Your Moods, Sleep Well and Feed Your Mind align closely with these principles, particularly by embedding emotional learning into the curriculum, supporting staff wellbeing, and helping schools to create environments where it’s normal to talk about mental health and look after our minds.
We’re working in partnership with schools across London to turn guidance into practice, helping schools bring wellbeing to life in simple and achievable ways. Staff tell us that these sessions give them space to reflect as well as practical tools to support themselves and the school communities they work in. Students share with us that they feel calmer, more focused and more aware of what helps them to feel well.
We’re looking forward to sharing more from our work in schools over the months ahead, as the Mindapples for Schools community continues to grow – all while exploring what’s good for their minds.