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The Princess of Wales visits Castle Hill Academy for Children's Mental Health Week

Today the Princess of Wales visited Castle Hill Academy in New Addington, Croydon, to mark Children’s Mental Health Week 2026.

The Princess of Wales, Patron of Place2Be, sitting with pupils from Castle Hill Academy. They are busy crafting and using the official Children's Mental Health Week art activity.
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As Patron of Place2Be, Her Royal Highness has long championed the importance of supporting children’s emotional wellbeing from their earliest years. This visit underlines her continued commitment to early intervention and the creation of nurturing, supportive environments for children.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week, This is My Place, focuses on helping children explore where they feel they belong and what helps them feel safe and connected.

“This year's Place2Be Children’s Mental Health Week is about the importance of belonging. It can be easy to overlook the importance of the things that matter most; love, care and time spent together. Belonging and connection is so important, and is a fundamental part of early childhood development. As Patron of Place2Be, I am incredibly proud of the work they do to support families and communities to nurture children and young people.” The Princess of Wales, Patron of Place2Be

Castle Hill Academy has worked with Place2Be for many years, embedding mental health and wellbeing into daily school life and offering pupils and families emotional support through its Whole School Approach, providing children with skills they can develop to help them thrive. During the visit, The Princess met children, parents, teachers and Place2Be practitioners to see how the school community is marking Children’s Mental Health Week and to hear how trusted relationships, creativity and play help children express themselves and build confidence.

Her Royal Highness began the visit at the school’s Early Years outdoor play space, funded by Deloitte, a member of The Royal Foundation Business Task Force for Early Childhood. Designed with Place2Be’s therapeutic principles in mind, the space promotes emotional regulation, sensory exploration and creative play.

The Princess then met with parents who have benefitted from Place2Be’s support. Some of the parents previously accessed Place2Be’s services as pupils themselves, reflecting the long-standing relationship between the charity and the school community.

Her Royal Highness also visited the school’s Art Studio, where she joined children taking part in the official Children’s Mental Health Week art project, developed by The Art Room at Place2Be. The activity encourages them to create “belonging maps”, encouraging them to consider the people, places and experiences that help them feel secure and connected.

To conclude the visit, The Princess met Castle Hill Academy and Place2Be leadership to discuss the organisation’s whole-school approach to supporting children’s mental health, as well as the unique challenges facing children and families in New Addington.

The Princess holds a long-standing commitment to drive awareness and action on the power and impact of the early years on future society. The Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us Framework, published last year, sets out the core life skills that underpin children’s social and emotional development – how they manage their emotions and thoughts, to how they communicate, build relationships and explore the world around them. These social and emotional skills are the foundation for a healthy, happy life. The Princess’s visit to Castle Hill Academy reflects this in action. The work that Place2Be does in schools and nurseries in vital in supporting families to nurture these skills from an early age.