Your Freesource — more than a resource for stronger staff and stronger students.
Welcome to the second edition of Education Matters: an online magazine that is both topical and courageous in its aims to raise awareness of pressures faced by UK schools and how they have managed those challenges both past and present.
Current Virtual Sponsors:
Some of the features this issue:
Sabrina Gardener-Orr from Mind interview
Healthy pancake recipe
Local Hero: My Choice Healthcare
At My Choice Healthcare, our focus is to place people at the heart of all that we do and to make that difference every day.
To support this, we strive to support individuals to live fulfilled lives – and people’s mental health and wellbeing are central to achieving this. As such, we are delighted to be able to support a local school to promote children’s mental health and wellbeing. This is our way of contributing to the communities in which we work and where our staff live.
We are honoured to be able to stand behind and support the YogaBugs programme, seeing the difference that it makes in enabling children to grow with confidence, develop their resilience, have some fun and generally, to live their lives to the fullest”.
Mind and YogaBugs
Have you heard of the charity Mind? Do you know what Mind does?
And did you know that the your local Mind is an independent charity affiliated to National Mind?
Mind is a mental health charity. They inform, support and campaign for lasting change because everyone deserves a mental health system that truly cares. The aim is that everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect. There are over 100 local Minds across England and Wales which are part of the Mind federation.
What a lot of people don’t realise is these local Minds are independent charities affiliated to National Mind. Local Minds run mental health services in communities. Anyone can get in touch – you don’t need to have a GP referral. Each local Mind is different, but the services they offer might include Talking therapy, Crisis helplines, Advocacy, Employment and training schemes, Counselling and Befriending services while also fundraising locally. If you want to find which local Mind is in your area visit: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/local-minds/
Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023 – wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey, November 2023.
Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind is a local Mind that offers a wide range of support for adults and children and young people experiencing mental health problems. They have over 25 services in the local area and have supported over 42,000 people in 2024-25.
The services available include one-to-one wellbeing support, drop-in hubs, crisis support through services like Safe Haven, signposting to specialist services, children and young people services, and run community outreach programmes to ensure support is accessible to all.
Interview with Sabrina Gardner-Orr
Meet Sabrina our Service Manager for the Children and Young People's Service:
Why do you love working at Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind?
I love working at Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind because the organisation truly lives its values. I’m supported by passionate, compassionate colleagues and have the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and their families every day.
What’s one tip that works for you to look after your mental health?
One thing that really helps me is reminding myself, “this too shall pass”. I try to be kind to myself in difficult moments and make time to do things I enjoy, knowing that looking after my own wellbeing helps me show up better for others.
Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. (2005). Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62 (6) pp. 593-602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593.
Why do children and young people struggle with their mental health?
Children and young people face growing pressures from school, social media, identity, and relationships, often without the tools or language to understand big emotions. This can make coping day to day feel overwhelming. With the right support, they can learn to manage these challenges and thrive.
How does it impact on them in later life?
When mental health difficulties aren’t recognised or supported early on, they can affect confidence, relationships, education, and how someone copes with stress in adulthood. People may carry patterns of anxiety, low self-esteem, or avoidance into later life, but early understanding and support can make a huge difference, helping build resilience, healthier relationships and better long-term wellbeing.
How can we engage with children and young people on the topic of mental health?
They key is to make it real, relatable, and safe. We need to start by listening more than talking and letting them share their experiences without judgment. We have to use language, activities, and tools they connect with, whether it’s with games, creative projects or something else. We need to normalise mental health conversations and show that it’s okay to struggle but also give practical ways to cope. It’s also important to make sure that they know support is there when they need it.
What can be done now to support people with their mental health?
Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind support mental health through drop-in wellbeing hubs, one-to-one emotional support, peer groups, and a 24/7 Mental Wellbeing Line. We also offer children and young people’s services and training for teachers and professionals, helping everyone to build coping skills, resilience, and access support when they need it.
How can your school support?
To celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, YogaBugs and Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind are working together to support primary schools across the country.
Throughout the month of February, YogaBugs will be donating access to their wellbeing platform to the first 50 Schools who donate to Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind. To take part in this please visit: https://yogabugs.com/this-is-my-place/
Are you a local school? If your school would like support from our Children and Young People’s Team or would like to fundraise for Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind please get in touch at cyp.online@cwmind.org.uk
If you would like to find out more about the work of Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind visit https://cwwmind.org.uk/.
Local Heroes: Support Our Schools
Since it's launch in September 2025, the following companies have become 'Local Heroes' providing YogaBugs Virtual to a school of their choice.
YogaBugs is on a powerful mission: to bring yoga, mindfulness, and emotional wellbeing to 1 million primary school children.
We believe every child deserves the tools to understand their feelings, manage stress, and build confidence from an early age. By nurturing calm, resilience, and self-awareness now, we can help reduce the rise of self-harm and teenage suicide later in life—creating happier, healthier futures for the next generation.
We are very aware of school budget cuts, so we are fighting for schools and contacting businesses with Corporate Social Responsibility and those who really care about their community and are funding YogaBugs into their chosen schools.
If you would love to have YogaBugs at your school, but just don’t have the budget, we can help!
Register your school’s interest today!
Currently kindly sponsoring…
Leamington Spa
Currently kindly sponsoring…
Solihull
Currently kindly sponsoring…
Warwickshire
Currently kindly sponsoring…
Redditch
Register your schools interest:
Banana Egg Pancakes (3-Ingredients!)
Here’s a super simple, wholesome banana pancake recipe that kids can help make with minimal supervision. No refined sugar, no flour needed.
🍌🫓 Banana Egg Pancakes (3-Ingredient Base)
Ingredients (makes ~6 small pancakes)
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
Optional add-ins (pick 1–2):
1–2 tbsp oats (or oat flour)
Pinch of cinnamon
Splash of vanilla extract
A few blueberries
Kid-Friendly Steps
Mash the banana
Put it in a bowl and mash with a fork until mostly smooth (lumps are okay!).
Crack in the eggs
Whisk together until well mixed.
(Grown-up can help with cracking if needed.)
Add extras (optional)
Stir in oats or cinnamon if using.
Cook
Heat a non-stick pan on low-medium heat
Lightly grease with butter or coconut oil
Spoon small pancakes into the pan
Cook ~1–2 minutes per side (flip gently!)
Healthy Topping Ideas
Fresh fruit (berries, sliced banana)
Greek yogurt
Nut butter (thinly spread)
A tiny drizzle of maple syrup or honey (optional)
Why These Are Great for Kids
- Naturally sweet (banana does the work)
- Protein from eggs
- No refined sugar or white flour
- Easy to mix, pour, and flip
- Gluten-free
Fitness Videos
It’s the start of a brand new year and like a lot of us, improved fitness may be a goal we have in mind for the start of the new year, so here’s a couple of videos to get you started on your journey. We have YogaBugs Cardio Yoga a perfect example of a more physically demanding YogaBugs session for you to try and also, on loan from our big brother Footiebugs we have a couple of two minute fitness blast videos, one focussing on core workouts and the other with a core challenge for you to rise to! (and beat) – good luck on your fitness journey!
FREE Resources
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Help Lines
SHOUT – Text MRF to 85258
Confidential crisis text line for anyone, any age – Free 24/7
Papyrus HOPELINE247 – 0800 068 4141
pat@papyrus-uk.org
Confidential helpline for people under 35 or anyone concerned about a young person – Free 24/7
NSPCC Childline – 0800 1111
Confidential support for young people under 19 – Free 24/7
NHS – Call 111 – Get help for your symptoms – NHS 111
Select ‘mental health help’ for urgent help or advice
