Children have been taught how to recognise when they are struggling with poor mental health.

Students at Sir Frederick Gibberd College, in Harlow, participated in workshops to help identify when they are suffering, how to seek help and support others.

Students were also challenged to wear part of their uniform in the wrong way to demonstrate their feelings on the inside are not always reflected on the outside.

Assistant headteacher Cheree Leverington said: “Mental health is just as important as physical health, so we want our young people to be aware of how they are feeling. In the same way we can get physically ill, we can get mentally ill. However, there is a stigma attached to mental health and often people do not know how to deal with it and so it gets brushed to one side and not dealt with.

“Some negative feelings are natural; anxiety is a normal part of life, to a certain extent. They are growing up and puberty is kicking in. But, some of these feelings can be a sign of ill mental health and it’s vital our children recognise the difference and know how to seek help.

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