Menu
Back to News ListPreviousNext

Danes Educational Trust hosts Mental Health Matters Conference

This week the Danes Educational Trust hosted a Mental Health Matters Conference for sharing best practice approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing amongst schools. Approximately eighty teachers and support staff attended the conference when they had an opportunity to attend workshops and listen to speeches from mental health professionals and guests involved in mental health issues.

Old Dane Jack Rooke who is a comedian, campaigner, artist and writer gave a fascinating speech ‘Good Grief – a personal reflection’.  Jack's debut BBC Three series Happy Man was broadcast in April 2017, a documentary exploring alternative solutions to the male mental health crisis, which was nominated for Best Factual in the iTalkTelly Awards 2017 and earned Rooke a place on the BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017.​

BAFTA and Emmy Award winning Media Executive, Sallyann Keizer gave a speech ‘Finding Happy in a Digital World’. Managing Director of Sixth Sense Media Ltd., Sallyann set up the London-based independent production company in 2000 to give young people a voice - and to empower, inspire, entertain and inform children globally. Sallyann is passionate about children’s wellbeing and empowering them to live emotionally resilient lives. 

Sam Garner, a renowned trainer and speaker on Mental Health and SEN, gave a speech: ‘Supporting mental health in your school day to day’. A former SENCO and qualified Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Sam works with schools nationally and internationally.

The delegates had an opportunity to attend a selection of workshops titled 'Measuring Impact', 'Scratching the Surface', 'Rebalancing', 'Art Therapy in School', 'The Psychology of Learning', 'Resilience' and 'Circle of Friends'.

The conference was a great success with the delegates commenting on how informative and helpful they had found the programme, stating that they had gained much from the variety of workshops and talks available during the day.

 

Back to News ListPreviousNext

Categories

Category / All Articles

Archives

Also Featured

30th January

Teachers commended for transforming Design & Technology education

We were delighted to read that our Design and Technology teachers, Miss Yalley and Mr Hadley were featured in the Design and Technology publication.  The article discusses the transformation of the Design & Technology (D&T) department at St. Clement Danes School over the past five years. It discusses how Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley took ownership of the subject, implementing a new subject ethos based on trust, excellence, respect, and safety to foster student responsibility and independence. Key Initiatives & Changes Revamping Projects & Curriculum Introduced more challenging design projects at earlier years (Years 8 & 9). Shifted focus to design skills, problem-solving, and justifying choices over just practical outcomes. Prioritized quality over quantity in student projects. Notable projects: Year 7: Robot concepts Year 8: Articulated lamps Year 9: Branded dispensers & modular speakers Encouraging Inclusion & Diversity Created a girls-only club to boost female participation in GCSE Product Design. Sixth-form girls mentor younger students, building confidence and community. Design Ventura Competition Integrated mock coursework with the Design Ventura competition. Encouraged teamwork and prototyping to improve engagement. Use of AI & Technology Introduced cloud-based tools to make learning more accessible. Leveraged AI for idea development and communication. Professional Development & Industry Links Participating in the Teachers in Residence program to gain industry insights. Adopted industry models like the Double Diamond Design Process and Scrum-based project sprints to enhance student learning. Established workshops with industry professionals to inspire students, especially girls, to pursue design careers. Key Takeaways for Educators Adapt curriculum to student needs and school culture. Pilot new initiatives as clubs first to gauge student interest. Encourage student feedback to refine teaching methods. Be open to change and continuously evolve teaching strategies. The article ultimately encourages educators to embrace creativity, experimentation, and student collaboration in D&T education. We are very proud of our teachers for their continued hard work and dedication for each of their subject areas. Congratulations to Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley for their inspiring article and the incredible work they’ve done to transform Design & Technology at St. Clement Danes! Their dedication to fostering creativity, inclusion, and industry connections is truly commendable, and their impact on students will undoubtedly be long-lasting.