Charity helps boost Mansfield children's mental health during lockdown

And 75 per cent of those who took part say they are now feeling more confident and less worried about the future.

The Youth Endowment Funded project has seen 80 children from years five and six at Mansfield Primary Academy and Seely Primary School work with the mentors at Switch Up to complete various teambuilding and wellbeing exercises – with the aim of tackling the negative effects of lockdown.

Three-quarters of participants saw more reasons to avoid getting into trouble than before and more than half reported that they are now exercising more because of the programme.

Similarly, more than 50 per cent of the pupils said that they are now enjoying learning and are actively completing their schoolwork on time.

Marcellus Baz, founder and chief executive of Switch Up and its sister organisation, Nottingham School of Boxing, said: “Lockdown has been immensely disruptive to the development of children from the city’s deprived communities.

“School is a support structure and, without it, their mental health can deteriorate or they can even fall into bad habits and behaviours.

"That is why this project with the two key schools has been so important.

“We have seen amazing results which prove that participants have benefitted tremendously from the project.

"They have come out of it with better physical and mental health, are more engaged in their education, and are less likely to be involved in antisocial behaviour.”

"The aim was to support their wellbeing and development while preventing them from disengaging with their schoolwork which is more likely to happen without the routine and daily support of teachers and peers.

The intervention project includes mentoring, boxing tuition, teambuilding workshops, lesson-based support and a summer holiday club out of term time.

Due to the continuation of lockdown restrictions, Switch Up is migrating its support work online.

For more information on Switch Up and the Nottingham School of Boxing, click here.