NINE local schools – eight of them in the Exmoor Coast Federation (ECF) – have been marking National Children’s Mental Health Week, February 6 to 12.

Ensuring children are emotionally healthy is vital to children achieving well and having a positive sense of themselves.

Schools have a very important role to play in helping children and young people learn the importance and value of even small acts of kindness.

To that end, the ECF School Council, which consists of pupil representatives from all of the schools, has been exploring ways to promote emotional health and wellbeing since September.

Through their work, the schools have introduced initiatives such as ‘Friendly Faces’, buddy systems and mindfulness activities.

The schools have also invested in specialist training for nominated learning support assistants to become ‘ELSAs’ by completing an emotional literacy programme to further support their pupils.

The eight ECF schools are Cutcombe, Dunster, Exford, Minehead, St Michael’s, St Dubricius and Timberscombe First Schools and Minehead Middle. Knights Templar, in Watchet, is an associate member.