This has been a busy year for Place2Be at Oasis Academy Oldham.
Earlier this year, we were delighted to win the Place2Be Wellbeing Award from Progress, which shows how much work has been put in by a variety of school divisions, including The Bridge and Oasis Hub, to promote emotional wellbeing in our students.
Pupils and staff also celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week in February 2019 by organizing activities for young mental health awareness based on this year’s theme ‘Healthy: Inside and Out’.
In addition, last month we were pleased to welcome CBBC and BBC Radio 1 Presenter Katie Thistleton to OAO to talk to students about her career and the importance of looking after yourself as well as others.
Katie said:
“I struggles since I was little. I used to find it difficult to breath and catch my breath. My mum initially blamed it on everything from asthma to coloring in Smarties, but it was only when I was older I discovered I was having panic attacks. It is just something I have in me.”
Katie has since gone on to write a book, Dear Katie, which provides advice to young people about “some of life’s tough stuff”, and she also presents a weekly show on BBC Radio 1 called Life Hacks.
Katie added:
“It feels like the worst job in the world you can have if you have anxiety is a radio or television presenter. With all the lights and cameras on you, and all the people looking at you – you can’t have a down day.”
Gemma Hales, who leads some of Oasis Academy’s Oldham wellbeing projects, said:
“Katie’s talk was inspiring. She made our students feel that having issued with mental health should not be an anchor on your hopes and aspirations. Just look at what she has gone and done.”