School introduces pupil wellness room
Pupils at a county school have welcomed the opening of a nature-inspired ‘Wellness Room’ – which provides a quiet space for students away from studies, to find support and relax.
The room in the medical centre at Ellesmere College has a large mural with a forest theme, owl decorations, comfy sofas, books on mindfulness and other subjects, music, art therapy such as colouring books, a weighted blanket, bird sounds and a diffuser with pine smells.
Eiry Davies, senior school nurse, said it has been completely transformed and is a space everybody now loves.
She said: “The room was inspired by a student who said it would be helpful to walk in the open air when she felt anxious because we live in such a beautiful area with stunning scenes and hearing the trees and nature helped.
“So we tried to bring the outside in, the design creates a sensation of being outside when you’re inside in a safe space. Some children live in big cities so the green space is important.
“It’s made the room much more relaxing, calming. People say ‘wow’ when they come in and it is used every day.
“Students know to come down here and if the door is open, just come in. They can have quiet reflection time in a safe space and staff too as it is such a great environment.”
The school nurses also run ‘time to talk’ sessions in the dedicated room, which students can request whenever needed.
The room was developed thanks to funding from the school’s award winning Mental Health at Ellesmere Support System (MHESS).
The student-led initiative focuses on helping students recognise the signs of detrimental effects of stress and anxiety to their health and wellbeing, and how and where to access help and support to address any issues.
The MHESS team has been fundraising through events held at the school to transform the Wellness Room and since then a number of pupils who are MHESS ambassadors have chosen to complete a mental health training course to be able to support other students.
