A new study from ThiftBooks found that we adults lament that summer flies by faster than it used to. In fact, they found that “readers across the country are turning back the clocks by opening a book with 56% of those surveyed reporting reading makes summer feel like it lasts longer, and most agree it helps them slow down in a way other forms of downtime simply do not.” To read the full newsletter from #HalfTheStory as well as articles on ways to reduce screen time, Students turning to AI chatbots to help with school work and digital wellness Sign up to #HalfTheStory's Teaching Teens with Screen mailing list here

YGAM are running a free, virtual working for youth workers across the south west to give them the knowledge and confidence to discuss issues around gaming and gambling.

Thursday 20th August 13:00-15:00 click here to open the poster for further information and how to book.

In this one-hour webinar Child Bereavement UK will explore the revised statutory guidance on teaching about grief and bereavement in RHSE education and empower those working in education to talk about loss, death and grief with confidence. You will learn how to initiate conversations about death and grief, explore free resources and prepare for emotional and behavioural responses to these topics. 

Dates available: 9am on Wednesday 23 September and 9am on Wednesday 4 November

Cost: £25 per person. 

Book here

New Joe Wicks 'Activate' Summer Social Media Assets Available

This summer, families across the country are being encouraged to help children stay active over the school holidays as the government continues to back the free, animated fitness series, Activate, created by Joe Wicks MBE.

Following on from the success of Activate one year from launch, which generated almost 60,000 hours of active time among families last summer, the campaign will remind parents that Activate offers a go-to library of over 18 fun ‘movement breaks’ to help children stay active, entertained and off the sofa, at a time when kids’ physical activity levels fall.

The campaign resurses can be downloaded here: Activate with Joe Wicks | Campaigns | Campaign Resource Centre

You can now access our R(S)HE curriculum resources for primary which has been updated in line with the 2025 Statutory Guidance. 

Click here to visit GHLL's landing page

Click here to access the lesson plans

Click here to see the personal safety strand which includes signposting to both local and national organisations which can support schools to deliver the new Personal Safety strand in the 2025 guidance.

We hope all our schools and colleges have a wonderful summer break .  The GHLL team look forward to working with you all in the new academic year.  Best wishes from GHLL

The following schools have recently been successful in achieving our Healthy Schools and/or Mental Health Champions Award. To find out more about our Awards please click here.

This scheme is open to all education settings in Gloucestershire including colleges and FE. Support is available for your whole journey from your schools GHLL Lead Teacher. For more information or an informal chat get in contact with us at ghll@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Could your students be in Season 4 of Life Lessons?

Life Lessons are filming Season 4 of Life Lessons this summer, and they are looking for young people who have something to say about growing up in the world today.

Whether it's AI, relationships, mental health, friendships or just what life feels like right now, they want to hear from your students.

Films from previous seasons are used in schools across the UK to help young people develop their thinking as part of their PSHE education. Being part of Season 4 is a chance for your students to have their voice heard, and to help shape the conversations happening in classrooms nationwide.

Find out more here: Filming with Life Lessons - Life Lessons

The latest version of the popular ‘EDUCATE’ lesson pack for KS3 about the HPV vaccine is available to download. 

Co-produced by young people and researchers from the University of Bristol and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ‘EDUCATE’ will help you teach students about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and provide reassurance about receiving the vaccine — which is usually offered to teenagers at school as part of the national vaccination programme. 

Download the free lesson here: PSHE Association - HPV Lesson Plan

Life Lessons believe action starts in the classroom. So this week, they are giving away two free PSHE lessons to help young people understand and look after their mental health.

🧰 My Emotion Toolkit - Primary - Helps children explore what it means to feel overwhelmed, understand dysregulation, and build their own personal strategies to regulate powerful emotions. Ready to teach, no prep needed.

🌱 Healthy Choices for Mental Wellbeing - Secondary - Helps students understand how everyday choices - sleep, diet, exercise, nature and social connection - shape how they feel. Includes a video, discussion tasks and a mind-mapping activity.

Both lessons are free to download and ready to use this week. Download your free lessons here

This skin cancer awareness month, Cancer Research UK are excited to share some amazing research into melanoma and non-melanoma cancer.

It's thanks to your ongoing support that they're able to continue research into skin cancer risk and prevention.

Prevention, stopping cancer before it starts, is one of the most effective ways we can beat the disease.

Read more to find out about key research into skin cancer symptoms, prevention and other breakthroughs that they wouldn't be able to achieve without your support.

Presented by mental health trainers, clinical academics and youth ambassadors, Charlie Waller's free webinars explore practical, evidence‑based strategies across a range of mental health topics. There are a variety of sessions coming up over the next few months including loneliness, low mood in young people, and workplace mental health.

Click here to find out more: Free mental health webinars

Period Positive Curriculum Guide, Pledge, and Award: Call to Action

Period Positive is gathering partner support for the Curriculum Guide, Pledge, and Award frameworks as practical standards of good practice for menstruation education. This is a timely opportunity to show that inclusive, cross-curricular menstruation education already exists, is ready to be supported, and should inform the delivery of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy.

Bite Back in Schools is a FREE programme empowering students in Years 7–10 to improve their school food environment and understand the political processes shaping it. Schools receive:

• A £500 grant to fund student-led improvements
• A ready-made resource pack with physical workbooks, session plans, slide decks and a Championing Change card game
• An inspiring kick-off assembly from a Bite Back Ambassador
• Ongoing support from our team
• Badges, merchandise and celebration opportunities

Schools can sign up here : https://www.biteback2030.com/bite-back-in-schools/england-join-bite-back-in-schools/ 

South West Nature Park

The National Education Nature Park programme empowers children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future.

Go on a journey to get to know your outdoor space and use creative decision-making to improve your grounds for both people and nature. This free programme provide all educators with the resources, support and guidance to embed climate and nature into learning in a way that suits your setting and learners.  

How it works | Education Nature Park

You can even invite them to run a session at your setting! Get in touch at Southwestnaturepark@rhs.org.uk

Kidscape have recieved funding to support young people, parents, and carers with bullying in Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire. 

A major review of the curriculum – what children learn at school – and the qualifications and assessment system has just been published, and the government is making changes based on what it found.

The National Curriculum hasn’t been updated in over ten years, so these changes will ensure it stays relevant for today’s world.

What you need to know about the changes to the National Curriculum – The Education Hub

Gloucestershire County Council has launched a new online resource giving parents and guardians information about the benefits and risks of online spaces, with details of further information and where support is available. 

Click here to access the Information and Posters to display to raise awareness with you parents and carers about the new resource.

On Your Mind Glos is a place for Children and Young People to turn to when you need help and support with your mental health but you aren’t sure where to go. We have an anonymous Mental Health Support Finder, which is also available via text, for anyone aged 0-25 that will help you find the most appropriate support options for you in Gloucestershire. On Your Mind Glos also has some self help guides and resources designed for both young people and their families to provide general support and advice about self-care. Click here to find out more.

More than 6,000 Children from 113 Schools across Gloucestershire are particpating in the Big Brush Club. See the full report by BBC News featuring Bream Primary School where lessons on how to brush and daily brushing at school are having a positive impact on improving oral hygiene.

View information from Talk Well on their Eating Difficulties Counselling Service. 

Children will have experienced an average of 15 significant losses before adulthood, and may also encounter depictions of death in the media and social media, which are often explicit. The recent Covid-19 pandemic further highlighted change, loss and death, and children and their families may have experienced loss during this time.

PSHE Association have updated their Change, loss and grief lesson packs for KS1 - 4 to cover these topics safely, effectively and sensitively. ]

You will need a PSHE account to download these resources.

New data commissioned by domestic abuse charity Refuge reveals the scale of domestic abuse is significantly underestimated.  Read the full blog around the impactful educational campaign created in response.

Poor mental health and absence from school are impacting the education of children and in turn their futures. Read the full blog from GOV.UK on 'How we're helping children and teachers with their mental health and wellbeing' 

The results for the Pupil Wellbeing Survey have now been published. Click here to see the report.

Surfers Against Sewage "Plastic Free Schools" iniatitive is empowering the next generation of ocean activists. To find out more and sign your school up click here

Useful article from Claire Watts from High Speed Training, on what "Incel" means, the manosphere, and how this correlates to misogyny, radicalisation, and violence. This article looks at why teachers should be aware of Incel Culture and how Schools can tackle this issue.

The NHS Gloucestershire Asthma Team are looking into the current management of asthma in schools across the county. We would be very grateful if you could complete this questionnaire. The feedback you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence.  It will be stored securely and only used to improve this service. Thank you in advance for your responses. 

Please click here to complete the questionnaire. 

Please click here to view AFS resources. 

Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is an engaging child-led, parent/guardian supported therapeutic intervention that can be used on most smartphones or tablets free for all Gloucestershire families. 

It facilitates graded exposures (the active ingredient of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with psychoeducation to empower 7-12 year olds with mild to moderate needs to learn to self-manage fears, worries and anxiety.

myHappymind is an award winning programme for schools & nurseries, families and organisations. It is delivered by class teachers across 5 modules, all designed to develop critical knowledge and habits that support children’s mental health. This means that children can develop a toolkit of resources to use when they need to. For further information on the pilot click here

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine in early 2022, we all saw how the resulting conflict impacted tens of thousands of children through separation, loss or bereavement. Bear Us In Mind was launched to provide early intervention to support those children and the adults in their lives.

Whether you’re a teacher, teaching assistant, Head, Governor or a supporting adult from the child’s school or local community, Bear Us In Mind is designed to help you be a compassionate and confident thinking partner for a child when it’s most needed. Download the complete Bear Us In Mind toolkit guide here.  To receive your 'bear in a box' email ghll@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

Mental Health e-learning - Children and Young People's Mental Health

This short course will provide you with information and guidance to help support the young people you work alongside.

The course will introduce you to some common mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties, and will provide you with practical examples that you can use to help you to recognise and respond to children’s emotional health and wellbeing.