Inspiring and building up confidence for hundreds of pupils at Welland Park Academy in Harborough

Almost 1,000 students at a Market Harborough school are being inspired by thought-provoking wellbeing sessions.

Welland Park Academy brought in outside nationally-renowned agency humanutopia to help transform the lives of their 991 pupils.

Youngsters took part in special workshops focusing on ideals such as leadership, teamwork, engagement, hope and happiness.

Assistant principal Cheryl Gerald, who helped to run the exciting venture on Wednesday (Dec 11) for Year 11 children, said: “This is all about showing students how they can make positive choices.

“It’s about building up their self-confidence and self-esteem.

“We are staging a session, for example, devoted to the best ways of doing revision as they’ve got their GCSE exams coming up next summer.”

She added: “We’re looking at everything from sleep to yoga.

“We show students various strategies and techniques on how they can better manage their time as well as discussing stress and wellbeing.

“We are working here with about 200 young people aged 15 and 16.

“We got together with our Year 10s on Tuesday and are working right across all our age groups.”

Cheryl said it was crucial for students facing life-changing exams to get the work-life balance right.

“They have to apply themselves and revise hard but it’s also about knowing when to take a break.

“Being productive is not just about getting your head into a book from dawn to dusk,” she said.

“It’s also critical that students look after themselves and make the most of their time without pushing too hard.”

Tamara Isted, 23, a facilitator for humanutopia, said: “We come here to inspire students.

“We aim to empower young people and help their personal development.”

She added: “Social media has become more of a problem when it comes to inter-action and students engaging with each other.

“We try to address that and encourage young people to talk more to each other.”

Harry, 16, and Tom, 15, both of Harborough, briefly stepped out to give the Harborough Mail their thoughts.

Enthused Harry said: “This is a good idea because it’s making me think differently about subjects like time and revising.”

Tom said: “It’s teaching me to be a better person and to be more self-disciplined.

“We sit in pairs and talk to people we don’t normally talk to – so it’s also bringing us out of our comfort zones.”

Principal Julie McBrearty said: “Students go on a carousel of activities all day – it certainly keeps them on their toes.

“This is about managing their mental health.

“We push and encourage students here to go as far as they can.

“But we also provide a good support network to back them up.”

Teacher Margot Butcher taught youngsters yoga to help keep them calm and confident.

And her colleague Adam Gaskell, head of maths, rammed home the massive power of sleep.

Adam told the Mail: “I was asked to talk to students about the importance of sleep.

“It’s fascinating – and it’s also vital.

“Sleep, or a lack of it, can have a real effect on mental health and the immune system.”

He insisted: “We are urging students to get eight to nine hours sleep every night.

“You must get into a regular routine.

“And go to bed to sleep – not to play on your phone.

“Caffeine also has a devastating impact on the ability to go to sleep.

“So don’t drink too much coffee or too many high-energy drinks right throughout the day.”

Julie said: “We’ve been running these sessions for several years now and they’re very successful.

“We are determined to help our students go out into the big wide world and become citizens and parents that we can all be proud of.”