The Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for the Oak National Academy tomorrow (Thursday 18th June), during which she will speak about the importance of mental wellbeing among children.
Oak National Academy is an online classroom providing high-quality video lessons and free resources to parents and teachers. It was created in response to the lockdown, supporting teachers educating their pupils remotely, and since its launch has delivered over 12 million lessons to children and young people. Every Thursday morning, the academy, in collaboration with TES, hosts assemblies for students across the UK, allowing them to experience the normal routine of a school environment.
The theme of The Duchess’ assembly, which was pre-recorded last week, is ‘spread a little kindness’ and is based on a lesson plan which is available on the Mentally Healthy Schools platform. It was developed in collaboration with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and encourages children to explore ways in which they can show kindness, and recognise the benefits of kindness to others.
During the assembly, The Duchess will say: “Talking to someone, whether it’s a friend, family member, or teacher, is something you can do to make yourself feel that little bit better. And you can also play your part in helping others to feel better too, whether offering a friendly ear, or helping someone in need. Small acts of kindness can go such a long way. But as we help others, we mustn’t forget to nurture ourselves, by taking the time to focus on the things that make us feel happy too.”
As part of the assembly, The Duchess joined a video call with students from Waterloo Primary Academy in Blackpool, whose parents have been working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. The children shared photographs they had taken and submitted to The Duchess’s Hold Still photography project, based around one of its central themes, ‘Acts of Kindness,’ and discussed some of the ways they had been spreading kindness themselves in recent weeks.
Matt Hood, Principal at Oak National Academy, said: “We’re thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge was able to lead this week’s assembly on acts of kindness. Being kind and considerate is a vital lesson for children at any time, but especially so in the current pandemic. We must encourage young people to talk about their feelings and to know that it’s normal to feel a bit anxious or upset right now.
“The Duchess’s Hold Still competition is a fantastic way to get children engaging with their mental wellbeing as they think about what kindness means to them and how they can show it towards others.”
The Mentally Healthy Schools site was launched in 2018 by The Duchess as a legacy of The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign, developed by leading children’s mental health charities The Anna Freud Centre, Young Minds and Place2Be. The site is now managed by The Anna Freud Centre. For more information, visit: www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk
The assembly will live on the Oak National Academy website at 11am on Thursday 18th June at: https://classroom.thenational.academy/assemblies/