Harpur’s Hill Primary School

Kerry Porter, P7 Teacher at Harpur’s Hill Primary School, Coleraine remarked after the Uberheroes® Comic facilitators visited their school in October 2017

Our Primary 7 pupils were delighted to be selected to receive the Uberheroes workshop from the very talented and committed staff of Hope 4 Life. It is fair to say that initially the majority of the class had limited knowledge of mental health issues and in all honesty, in their naivety, they found it difficult to comprehend how such a topic could relate directly to them.

However, as the session progressed, it became apparent that at such a tender and impressionable stage in their lives, each and every one of our pupils found that they could relate to at least one or two of the scenarios that were discussed such as self-image, self-esteem, confidence and bullying. Even the more delicate topics of depression, self-harm and suicide were touched upon in a very sympathetic and sensitive manner which undoubtedly gave the children the confidence to ask questions and explore these areas in more detail.

The session itself was extremely engaging and interactive, incorporating the clever introduction of the Uberheroes comic book which highlighted many of the ‘real-life’ situations faced by children in our fast-paced and demanding society. Through the staff’s skilled facilitation of group work and discussion, the children were encouraged to consider how they would react if they were to encounter similar situations. Throughout the entire workshop, emphasis was put on educating the children first and foremost, providing them with coping strategies whilst providing a safe platform on which to express their concerns and opinions regarding a variety of topical issues.

All-in-all, this was an exceptionally informative and worthwhile experience for our pupils, accompanied by some colourful, eye-catching and of course, thought-provoking reading material which the Primary 7s simply couldn’t put down!

Thanks must go to the staff for the follow-up statistics provided exclusively from the questionnaires our pupils completed at the end of the session. This will prove very beneficial as we continue to strive to nurture and support our pupils’ emotional and physical well-being within the school. We look forward to welcoming the staff back in the near future and highly anticipate the next exciting instalment of their Uberheroes comic!