The junior pupils at Banbridge Academy had great fun learning essential life skills last week as they participated in the annual three day Personal Development event to help them become resilient and responsible young adults.

The Year 10s started things off with Made for More, promoting healthier living through increasing their awareness of the impact of Vaping on their overall health, GamCare explaining gambling harms, and Thrive Academy exploring digital resilience in relation to social media. The Year 9s focused on understanding mental health issues and learnt practical coping strategies with Made for More, Mrs Morrison taught them the psychology behind learning and how to implement effective revision strategies, and Thrive Academy focused on the impact social media can have on mental and physical health, and how to increase digital resilience. With the Year 8s Made for More focused on building positive self-esteem, Thrive Academy highlighted the dangers of the online world and how to navigate them, and Future Proof provided pupils with knowledge about the effects that drugs and alcohol can have on our health to equip them to make healthy choices in life.

The sessions provided were targeted to meet the specific needs and requests highlighted by our pupils and parents in our recent audit and we really appreciate this essential input and guidance on provision.  Additionally, the workshops are all provided by local charities, which strengthens our pupils’ relationships with these providers in the community should they need further support or guidance outside of school. As such we would like to extend our thanks to Made for More, Thrive Academy, Future Proof, and GamCare for their excellent input.