St Joseph’s Catholic School, Banbury, was announced as the winner of the Excellence in Mental Health – Primary award on Monday 13 June 2022.

This recognises the school’s commitment to children’s mental health and wellbeing. The awards were organised by children’s mental health charity Place2Be and supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Any school from across the country working with Place2Be could be nominated for the award so this is a huge achievement for the fantastic team at St Joseph’s.

This award recognises that St Joseph’s has shown an exceptional level of dedication and passion in championing mental health across the school, having embedded their mental health approach across the curriculum and constantly striving to develop the support available to children and families. They had to impress a remarkable panel of judges in the process.

Run by pioneering children’s mental health charity Place2Be, the Wellbeing in Schools Awards celebrate inspiring ambassadors of positive mental health, including children, young people and adults, who go above and beyond to support mental wellbeing in their school communities.

Place2Be has over 25 years’ experience working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools. With 1 in 6 children and young people now facing a diagnosable mental health problem, Place2Be’s mission is to improve children's mental health. The charity believes that no child or young person should have to face mental health problems alone.

Ann-Marie Wortley, Deputy Headteacher at St Joseph's, said: “It’s amazing that the compassion, care and commitment of our whole staff has been recognised in this way. We are thrilled to have won and this now spurs us on even more!”

Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be, said: “While we cannot ignore the mental health challenges facing schools today, it’s important to also celebrate the tremendous efforts being made to support children and young people across the UK.

"St Joseph’s is a shining example of going above and beyond to champion positive mental health in schools, and demonstrating an inspiring commitment to supporting the wellbeing of others. The quality of the nominations we received for our Wellbeing in Schools Awards 2022 was outstanding, so to have been selected as a winner is a huge achievement. Congratulations!”