Kate turns teacher! Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for students across the UK – urging them to carry out ‘small acts of kindness’ and ‘nurture their own happiness’
- The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, will lead an online assembly for children
- She showed her support for online classroom Oak National Academy
- Every Thursday the academy hosts assemblies for students across the UK
- The Duchess spoke about the importance of kindness and mental wellbeing
The Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for students across the UK tomorrow.
Kate Middleton, 38, will speak about the importance of children’s mental wellbeing in a pre-recorded message to be played during the assembly hosted by the Oak National Academy, an online classroom providing high-quality video lessons and free resources to parents and teachers.
Kate will urge children to carry out ‘small acts of kindness’ and to ‘nurture their own happiness’ in the address.
The Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for students across the UK tomorrow. The pre-recorded message was filmed at the royal’s home of Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, pictured
She will say: ‘Talking to someone, whether it’s a friend, family member, or teacher, is something you can do to make yourself feel that little bit better.
‘And you can also play your part in helping others to feel better too, whether offering a friendly ear, or helping someone in need.
‘Small acts of kindness can go such a long way. But as we help others, we mustn’t forget to nurture ourselves, by taking the time to focus on the things that make us feel happy too.’
As part of the assembly, the Duchess also joined a video call with students from Waterloo Primary Academy in Blackpool, whose parents have been working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic.
The children shared photographs they had taken and submitted to The Duchess’s Hold Still photography project, based around one of its central themes, ‘Acts of Kindness’, and spoke about the acts of kindness they have carried out in recent weeks.
Oak National Academy was created in response to the lockdown, supporting teachers educating their pupils remotely, and since its launch has delivered over 12 million lessons to children and young people.
As part of the assembly, the Duchess also joined a video call with students from Waterloo Primary Academy in Blackpool, whose parents have been working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured, the pupils
Every Thursday morning, thpe academy, in collaboration with TES, hosts assemblies for students across the UK, allowing them to experience the normal routine of a school environment.
The Duchess’ assembly is based on a lesson plan which is available on the Mentally Healthy Schools platform.
It was developed in collaboration with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and encourages children to explore ways in which they can show kindness, and recognise the benefits of kindness to others.
Matt Hood, Principal at Oak National Academy, said: ‘We’re thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge was able to lead this week’s assembly on acts of kindness. Being kind and considerate is a vital lesson for children at any time, but especially so in the current pandemic. We must encourage young people to talk about their feelings and to know that it’s normal to feel a bit anxious or upset right now.
‘The Duchess’s Hold Still competition is a fantastic way to get children engaging with their mental wellbeing as they think about what kindness means to them and how they can show it towards others.’
The Mentally Healthy Schools site was launched in 2018 by The Duchess as a legacy of The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign, developed by leading children’s mental health charities The Anna Freud Centre, Young Minds and Place2Be. The site is now managed by The Anna Freud Centre.
The assembly will be live on the Oak National Academy website at 11am tomorrow.