PUPILS have been dancing away the way the blues with a whole-school conga designed to boost mental health.
The Big Barney Move involved around 700 students, aged four to 18, and staff at Barnard Castle School and Prep School.
Pupils warmed up in Big School and the dining hall to a number of party bangers, including Macarena, before a whole-school conga snaked through the corridors.
Dancing has been proven to have a powerful positive impact on mental health by combining physical exercise with rhythm and creativity. This reduces stress hormones, such as cortisol, and releases feel-good brain chemicals like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.
It has also been shown to decrease anxiety and depression by elevating mood naturally. The increased connection of mass participation also reduces loneliness and boosts social interaction.
Mastering new routines increases higher self-esteem, confidence and provides a creative emotional outlet, as well as building new neural pathways that can help sharpen memory and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Director of Music George Ford said: βItβs great to provide another opportunity for the whole school to come together in a fun activity that so obviously and easily improves the mental health of students and staff.β
Barnard Castle School has invested a huge amount of time and effort into its mental health provision over recent years ensuring pupils are happy and best equipped mentally to learn, with a host of peer and staff support networks.
