On Tuesday 13th October, students in Year 7 to Year 12 took part in our first whole school STOP morning of the year. It was a wonderful and very beneficial opportunity for them to STOP and consider a range of important life issues.

As a school, we recognise the value of giving our pupils opportunities to help them develop as people as well as learners. Our STOP mornings aim to help students improve their life chances as well as teaching them how to keep themselves and their friends safe.

A diverse range of age-appropriate topics were addressed during the STOP morning activities:

  • Year 7 focused on making and maintaining friendships and increasing their awareness of peer pressure in both its positive and negative forms.
  • Year 8 were able to hear and discuss the risks of substance misuse and the short and longer term impact on physical and mental health.
  • Year 9 learned about peer influence with a specific focus on gang behaviours and also received some beneficial careers support.
  • Year 10 enjoyed careers support sessions and also spent time during the morning investigating healthy and unhealthy behaviours; including cancer screening and the risks associated with cosmetic procedures such as tattooing and piercings.
  • Year 11 also accessed targeted careers support and learned about the risks associated with gambling, managing their own personal safety, and emergency situations they may find themselves in outside of school - at work or at University for example. This year group were also able to undertake some potentially life-saving emergency first aid training.
  • Year 12 focused on the study skills that will help to better prepare them for higher-level learning and exam success, and they too benefited from careers support

The team at Congleton High School will continue to deliver student support and a comprehensive and targeted PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) syllabus through virtual assemblies and form tutor sessions each week. Students will be able to take part in a further four STOP mornings throughout this academic year, which provides us with the opportunity to deliver high quality support to all our young people, keep them safe and help them to improve their life chances.