Northampton school to bring hundreds of students together for third year to discuss pivotal issues

This annual event first saw pupils from Quinton House School invite their peers to demand action against knife crime and county lines drug issues back in 2023.

The first ‘For Students By Students Conference’ was organised by the school’s head boy at the time, Jack Bott, as he was passionate about starting these conversations following a number of local incidents that year.

As hoped, the conference then became an annual inter-school occasion, focusing on a different topic each year that is equally as relevant to young people in and around Northampton.

The focus of this year’s event, to be held at St Benedict’s Church on March 20 for students aged 11 to 18, is mental health. It is also being sponsored by West Northamptonshire Council.

The global ambassador group of students from Quinton House, who are organising the conference, hope to promote the message that anybody is vulnerable to poor mental health and nobody needs to suffer alone.

A number of charities and mental health professionals, as well as a psychologist and psychiatrist, are already lined up to attend and speak.

Despite the strain on mental health services, the conference hopes to share that there are many resources available to those in need.

Sixth form students Rosie, Eva and Freya, as well as their teacher Christopher George, spoke to the Chronicle & Echo about the importance of an event like this for our town and county.

Not only has organising something like this improved the students’ communication skills, it has opened up their minds to the importance of spreading the word about mental health support to as many students as they can.

The organisers hope to welcome around 200 students, with a maximum of 10 per school, and bring the mental health conversation to them. They can then take what they have learned back to their peers.

As young people face particularly stressful times during exam periods, the Quinton House students listened to feedback from attendees of past conferences about the need for mental health to be covered.

Last year’s conference, which was hosted at the University of Northampton like the year before, addressed the ideas of toxic masculinity, relationships and what it means to be masculine or feminine.

For any schools interested in going along to this upcoming conference, reach out to Quinton House School for more information.