Wellbeing and Mental Health

We are absolutely thrilled to announce a new series of priorities and initiatives agreed upon by the Wellbeing subgroup. Promoting the mental health, inclusion, and overall happiness of our youth is incredibly important to us. We are highly optimistic about these fantastic new programmes and are confident they will have a lasting, positive impact on children and young people across Croydon!

Here is an update on the exciting initiatives we are rolling out:

The Croydon Wellbeing Mark 2026

We are excited to launch the Croydon Wellbeing Mark 2026, which empowers our local schools to take concrete, actionable steps toward healthier and more supportive environments.

Schools will create a dedicated wellbeing pledge on behalf of their community to add to their school development plan.

Participating schools are invited to complete the relaunched Healthy Schools London Bronze Award using a new audit framework.

School teams will plan Continuous Professional Development (CPD) directly linked to wellbeing priorities.

Staff responsible for wellbeing will hold termly Wellbeing Champion meetings or attend a wellbeing forum to discuss priorities and action plans.

Schools will work alongside another Croydon school on a shared initiative or to share good practices, focusing on areas like sleep, anti-bullying, or healthy relationships. Video: Link To apply, please click here

Croydon Young People’s Wellbeing Festival 2027

Get ready for an inspiring two-day festival at The BRIT School in Summer 2027. Designed “By, With and For Young People,” this event moves away from traditional lecture formats to directly engage and celebrate our youth.

· The festival aims to engage 1,000 to 1,500 children and young people from over 30 Croydon schools, including secondary, SEND, and alternative provisions.

· Activities will feature interactive workshops across Music, Dance, Film, Theatre, and Digital & Visual Arts.

· Current BRIT School students and alumni will deliver inspiring performances and act as mentors.

· The event will launch the “BRIT Platform”, a dedicated safe space for young people to perform and showcase their own creativity.

· This initiative is beautifully designed to promote emotional, social, and cultural wellbeing, while building confidence and a strong sense of pride in living in Croydon.

Voicebox Programmes for Healthy School Cultures

To address the growing pressures of harmful online influences and misogyny, we are bringing Voicebox to Croydon. This work supports the adults who influence our young people’s daily experiences to help create safer, more inclusive environments.

· Voicebox will deliver 14 in-person staff training sessions across 7 primary and 7 secondary schools.

· A complementary targeted programme will provide staff training in 7 secondary schools to build confidence in addressing misogyny, supporting healthy relationships, and engaging boys positively around gender.

· We are also hosting a borough-wide online webinar for parents and carers to help them understand the pressures affecting young people’s wellbeing, confidence, and friendships.

· Staff training will provide practical ways to recognise harmful behaviour and respond calmly and clearly in the moment.

· These combined efforts will help ensure our young people receive consistent, empowering support at both school and home.

Targeted Anti-Bullying Support with Diversity Role Models

We are committed to making every school a safe space where all pupils feel valued and able to thrive. Based on findings from the pupil wellbeing survey, we are funding targeted interventions to tackle discrimination head-on.

· This initiative will provide support to 15 primary schools and 5 secondary schools identified as having an elevated need.

· Diversity Role Models will deliver engaging, one-day “Embracing Difference” workshops for Key Stage 2 and Year 7 pupils.

· The programme includes comprehensive staff training to improve school culture and build confidence in addressing bullying.

· To ensure equitable access for our schools, the usual £100 booking fee has been completely waived.

· This vital work aims to improve emotional wellbeing, reduce anxiety-related absences, and ensure pupils feel confident that asking for help leads to positive action.