Year 12s lead mental health sessions for Year 7
4th March 25
Community, contribution and collaboration are key values at The King Alfred School. One way we help students to develop these skills is through interaction with other year groups, and our Peer Education Programme (PEP) is a great example of this.
PEP is a transformative programme from the Mental Health Foundation, designed to equip young people with essential skills and knowledge to safeguard their mental health and support their peers. It sees Year 12 students deliver a series of mental lessons to Year 7s
PEP 2025
A total of eight Year 12 students completed this year’s programme. Their journey began last September with training on how to deliver a mental health curriculum.
This not only enhanced their own mental health awareness but also empowered them to make a positive impact on their peers. They learnt to approach sensitive topics with empathy and confidence, becoming trusted figures to the pupils in Year 7. It also offered a unique opportunity for these students to develop leadership and communication skills.
After six weeks of training with Head of Year 7 Claire Murphy, the pupils delivered five lessons to small groups. Group size was limited to 10 to ensure a positive learning environment.
The five lessons covered:
- Mental health and the mental health spectrum
- The risk and protective factors to mental health
- The 5 ways to well-being
- Creating a mental health and well-being toolkit
- Building a network of support
Student feedback
Felix E, one of the Year 12s who delivered the lessons, said: “Year 7 is a new phase of school life and an important one. The skills we teach can help with that transition.”
He added: “The Year 7s really engaged with the process. Whilst they had heard of terms such as ‘mental health’, ‘depression’ and ‘anxiety’, they didn’t necessarily fully understand what they were and how they can manifest.”
Fellow Year 12 Ella VR said: “One of the activities involved them pointing at words to describe how they were feeling that day. They particularly enjoyed that one and it became a weekly habit.”
“Learning from fellow students makes it more relatable”
Overall, the Peer Education Programme has been a resounding success, highlighting the power of peer-to-peer learning. It has strengthened the bonds within our school community and provided invaluable experiences for both the mentors and the mentees.
“It was nice building connections between year groups,” Ella said. “I think that learning from fellow students made the information more relatable.”
Feedback from the Year 7s was positive too. One said, “I have learnt a lot about mental health that I had never thought of before,” whilst another added, “This experience has inspired me to do PEP in Year 12.”
Well done to all of the Year 12s who took part in this important programme.
