Co-creation at the heart of #BeeWell: Schools in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton share their action plans created with students

It’s been an exciting first year of the programme in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.

To celebrate and support the amazing work schools are doing, the team launched the #BeeWell Prize in the spring term. All of the 103 participating schools were invited to share their co-created plans to improve their students’ wellbeing in response to the #BeeWell data.

Seven schools across the region have been awarded cash prizes to help them deliver their enterprising plans to improve pupils’ wellbeing, in response to their #BeeWell survey findings.  The four winners received £2,000 each, with three runners up receiving £750. The improvement plans were judged by a young people’s panel consisting of members of the local #BeeWell ‘Youth Matters’ steering group and Hampshire Youth Parliament.

• Priestlands School in the New Forest, plan to boost physical activity through different sports both in and out of school, such as rock climbing for young people eligible for free school meals. They are also looking forward to holding a wellbeing day to introduce students to therapeutic practices that can help them manage difficult emotions, such as pet therapy and yoga.

Peter Main and Natalie Peacock from Priestlands School with

two of the 17 students who helped create the improvement plan.

• Great Oaks, a Southampton special school, are focusing on friendships and social support. Activities will include a new buddy bench, an extra after school club, and equipment to enhance lunchtime group activities. The student council will also hold a small budget to pay for wellbeing activities, to help support the development of independence, budget management and leadership skills.

Grace Kent and Great Oaks students at the

school’s wellbeing and activity day.

• Bitterne Park School in Southampton, plan to deliver activities to address sleep patterns, routines, and social media use, including an online leaflet and video and a student led information evening with outside speakers to educate students and parents about the importance of sleep hygiene.

 

• At Cowes Enterprise College, Isle of Wight, the student wellbeing committee – the Wellbeing Mentors – have explored Owen Eastwood’s work on belonging and have adopted his model of ‘whakapapa’ to create an environment where individuals feel connected to each other, their community and their history. Activities will include a wellbeing festival to come together as a school, a wellbeing club to talk and learn new skills, and Mental Health First Aid training for sixth form students and staff.

Wellbeing Mentors with Dannii Godfrey at

Cowes Enterprise College, Isle of Wight

Three runner up prizes of £750 were awarded to Hamble School, Crookhorn College and New Forest Academy. Louisa Cambridge and Jemma Morgan at The Hamble School

with year 10 students who looked at the schools’ findings

and helped create the action plan.

The plans were judged on the extent of student involvement in creating the plan, the strength of links to the school’s #BeeWell data, and the impact it could have on young people’s wellbeing.

The panel expressed how impressed they were by the entries, ranging from introducing yoga sessions and sensory spaces, to wellbeing brunches and festivals.

One of the panel said: “You can really see the ideas have been chosen by the students and I love the idea of a wellbeing festival to get the whole school together!”

A number of the winning schools welcomed the team to join them to celebrate last week, meeting with students to hear where the inspiration behind their ideas came from. We look forward to visiting the remaining schools in the autumn term.

These are some of the other ideas that schools have developed in response to their #BeeWell findings:

Congratulations to all our winners and finalists and we can’t wait to see the outcome of the plans in the coming months!