In honour of World Mental Health Day, celebrated on Thursday 10th October, Oryx International School has been hosting a series of events throughout the week to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining good mental health.

This week the school were delighted to welcome, Mr. Michael Clack, Director of Education and Regional Head of Schools for Orbital Education Group, who visited Oryx to deliver a series of "First Aid for Mental Health Training" (FAMH) to staff and Sixth Form students. The FAMH training is conducted across three levels, of which at all levels Mr. Clack is a qualified trainer, having completed his own qualifications with NUCO. Mr. Clack has previously visited Oryx International School to deliver Level 1 and 2 training to school staff, but the school is delighted to welcome him for the first time to impart these training sessions directly to students.

Sixth Form students had the opportunity to attend one of the two sessions on Mental Health delivered by Mr. Clack. The sessions focused on raising awareness, understanding, and highlighting where to get support and how to provide mental health and wellbeing first aid to others.

Mr. Laidlaw, Executive Principal commented “Mental Health & Wellbeing is so important to each and every one of us, not only as adults, but also children. Raising awareness and supporting our staff and students to recognize the signs of mental distress is imperative to ensure that our school community remains healthy. By supporting one another, recognising the signs and symptoms and understanding how to support one another is essential. As a school we have an excellent infrastructure to support our students both physically and mentally, but often it is our peers that are the first people to spot when we are in need or not our usual selves. By equipping our students with this knowledge, we ensure that they are informed and comfortable to talk about mental health and wellbeing, which will ultimately ensure our school community remains a safe and supportive environment where students can attain and staff can flourish.”

As part of the school induction process at Oryx, all new staff members, both academic and non-academic, are required to undertake the Mental Health training, which the school leadership consider pivotal to ensure awareness and understanding across the wider school community. The training has been extremely well received and as such, this week, some staff at the school have also had the liberty to undertake their Level 2 and Level 3 First Aid for Mental Health training courses.

Mr. Clack, who usually resides in the UK at the Orbital Education headquarters, was delighted to have had the opportunity to meet the students and interact with them on this important issue.

“I am absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity to meet and interact with such an inspiring group of students. Delivering this training has been a truly rewarding experience. The importance of First Aid for mental health and wellbeing, especially for young people, cannot be overstated. It equips them with the knowledge and skills to identify potential mental health conditions, start crucial conversations, and provide support and guidance towards professional help. Together, we are fostering a more understanding and supportive environment for our youth.”

Oryx International School is proud to be a pioneer in the field of Mental Health First Aid and stands out not only for its academic excellence but also because the school understands and appreciates that this is only possible when one is mentally balanced and "well". This simple formula for success is one of the main focuses of the school, and to support this, in 2023, the school leadership hired a full-time "Mental Health and Wellbeing Counsellor"; Mrs. Rayen, who works alongside her counterpart, Mrs. Tobun, the school Counsellor, to ensure that all students' pastoral and mental health and wellbeing needs are tended to.

If you would like to learn more about Mental Health and World Mental Health Day please see the links below: