Secondary and primary school staff and pupils across West Suffolk are to benefit from bespoke health and wellbeing support.

The Unity Schools Partnership will be working with OM Health and Wellbeing Consultancy to deliver the programme across its 25 schools in Haverhill, Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Felixstowe and Romford.

The sessions, which started at the beginning of the new school year, will be run by local school nurses, Annie O’Neill and Sue Miller.

Annie said: “We are delighted to be working with the Unity Schools Partnership to enhance the health and wellbeing across the whole trust community.

“The Trust is placing a strong emphasis on supporting the wellbeing of staff and pupils and we are devising sessions that are bespoke to the needs of each school.

”Annie and Sue, who have already worked with Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill, said sessions would range from coping with anxiety, internet safety and exam stress.

Sue said: “We are acutely aware that each school will have their own needs and we will design programmes in conjunction with staff, pupils and parents.”

“We know our sessions can make a positive impact on staff and pupils’ wellbeing but also have a knock-on effect for attendance and relationships in and out of the classroom.

“At Castle Manor, we had a great response from students and were made to feel a big part of the school community.”

Many schools within the Unity Schools Partnership will be holding events to mark World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10th October and trust chief executive Tim Coulson said: “We are delighted to be working with OM Health and Wellbeing Consultancy across all schools within the trust.

“Health and wellbeing is a hugely important issue for staff and students alike and there is already a lot of work going on across our schools.”

OM Health and Wellbeing specialises in mental health awareness training and support with all aspects of wellbeing for schools and businesses.

Earlier this year, the business was recognised by Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis after the entrepreneur selected it under his Small Business Sunday social media initiative.