Meet Kayden

Kayden is bright and engaged at school but has struggled to manage his emotions and behaviour when faced with setbacks or challenges. Diane Tatnell, his school’s Assistant Head Teacher, recommended Kayden to the HeadStart programme to give him the space to reflect on his actions.

Kayden participated in BounceBack – a 10 week course led by a HeadStart Youth Practitioner. The course guides pupils through 10 key areas of wellbeing encouraging them to set goals and make small changes in their lives to build resilience. In a small group with other pupils from his school, Kayden joined in group activities aimed at building his confidence to make positive changes.

Kayden said “HeadStart has helped by giving me more resilience as in being really, really confident in yourself.”

St Edwards Primary School has praised the HeadStart’s approach to supporting young people.

“I’ve found that the children are very enthusiastic about joining the BounceBack sessions every week. They talk to me about it with such enthusiasm and they love the fun activities.”

HeadStart works with 40 primary schools and 14 secondary schools in Newham. So far, over 1000 young people like Kayden have taken part in HeadStart activities to improve their mental health.

Watch Kayden’s BounceBack journey with HeadStart!