Connecting classrooms: How our School Portal supports mental health in schools

Our School Portal is a secure platform for Irish schools to highlight and exchange ideas that support positive mental health.

Our mission to grow mental health awareness in schools  

Almost 1,000 teachers have registered to use the platform since its launch, making it a growing hub of creativity, resources, and collaboration. 

The WIMS School Portal is an important part of our mission to promote positive mental health, tackle mental health stigma, and to encourage open conversations about mental health among young people.  

Benefits of using our School Portal

• Access educational resources: Explore a variety of wellbeing projects, from classroom activities to whole-school initiatives.
• Celebrate creative ideas that nurture positive mental health: Teachers are encouraged to upload and showcase their projects to highlight their efforts and encourage others to take part in the mental health conversation.

Inspiration for your classroom projects  

The Portal is more than just a library of materials - it’s a place where schools come together to inspire and learn from one another. 

Inside the WIMS School Portal, teachers and school staff can access a wide range of practical resources, from ready-to-use presentations and posters to videos and activity ideas that support positive mental health in schools. 

All resources on the Portal are available to download and share, and can be filtered by class level and mental health topic. 

A secure, supportive online community

The Portal is fully secure, with a protected login to ensure safe access, and it’s free for all schools to join, making it an accessible and supportive tool for educators across Ireland. 

Some highlights from our School Portal  

We have lots of creative ideas on the Portal, including:  

Primary school projects 

• Morning meetings - Ballinadee National School, County Cork. 
  “As part of our wellbeing initiative, we decided as a school that all classes would engage in ‘morning meetings’ for a two-week period. Morning meetings are a chance for each child in the class to have their voice heard through a series of very simple activities.” 

• Buddy up for Wellbeing - SN Cluain Muinge, County Clare 
  "Buddy reading and buddy games are essential for promoting the wellbeing of children by fostering a sense of connection, support, and collaboration.” 

• Wellbeing Wall – St Senan's Primary School, County Wexford  
  “We created our Wellbeing Wall to celebrate all the supports and initiatives available in our school and in our community. Nurture and wellbeing permeate every aspect of school life, from our mission statement to mindfulness practices on a daily basis.” 

• Wellbeing within our Community - Scoil Treasa Naofa, Dublin  
  “We organised a wellbeing interview with Tom, who came to the school garden to talk about wellbeing and what he does, as part of the WIMS Ways to Wellbeing Project.”  

Secondary school and Youthreach projects  

• Transition Year (TY) peer mentoring - Castleisland Community College, County Kerry 
  “This is vital in helping first-year students in the transition from primary to post-primary school. The first-year students met once a week with the TY students, that aided them in becoming familiar with our school and taking part in ice breaker activities, bonding games, walks and talks and a peer mentoring blitz.”  

• The Butterfly Effect - Colaiste Muire, County Sligo 
  “We are focusing on how, like the butterfly effect, small changes and decisions made in our lives can lead to significant and long-lasting effects for us, enhancing our wellbeing and mental health. Random acts of kindness, given and received by all members of our school, are included in this artwork.” 

• Mentor wall - Pleasants Street Youthreach, Dublin 
  “Mentoring is part of our focus on trying to be "the one good adult" in our students' lives. None of our students have had a smooth path through education or life more generally, so they present with a multitude of risk factors and unmet needs that impact their ability to access education and progress towards employment and further education.”  

• Movement of Light Photography Exhibition – Rosses Community School, County Donegal
  “TY students were encouraged to capture an image that reflected mental health and wellbeing. Students then named their images and wrote a brief description to explain the purpose and meaning behind their images. These were collated and displayed in an exhibition within the school.” 

How to get involved 

The WIMS School Portal is helping to create a culture of openness and support around mental health in schools. With hundreds of teachers already engaged, the community continues to grow, bringing fresh energy and creativity into classrooms across Ireland. 

Joining our Portal is easy; simply register on our website here. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at info@walkinmyshoes.ie.