SCHOOL pupils in the east end of Greenock turned themselves inside out to encourage fellow youngsters to share their feelings.

Children and staff at King's Oak Primary deliberately wore their shirts and jumpers the wrong way round to raise awareness of Children's Mental Health Week 2020.

They wanted to highlight that while people sometimes may look okay on the outside, they may be struggling inside.

The clothes stunt was organised by senior family worker at the school, Caroline McCahill, in partnership with acting depute head teachers Liz Crerar and Craig Thomson.

Ms McCahill said: "The first thing we ask children in the morning is 'how are you feeling?'.

"Someone could be feeling bad but say they are okay.

"It's about helping children realise that how things look on the outside may not be the same as the inside."

Pupils and staff across the school and nursery class took part and got right behind the idea.

Kira McKendrick, who is in P5, said: "It's really good we're doing something like this.

"It raises awareness that whether you're feeling okay or not, you should be able to tell somebody about it."

By encouraging youngsters to share their feelings, staff say the children can release a weight off their shoulders and concentrate on their learning.

Acting depute head, Mr Thomson, said: "It's a key part of our day. "We're trying to take the stigma away of keeping things bottled up. "That helps allow staff to build relationships with children and build trust. "If something is good enough to make you anxious, it's good enough to share.

"This is deeply embedded from the nursery all the way through to the school."

Mrs Crerar, who is also an acting depute head, says she can see a real difference in pupils when they speak out about things.

She said: "It's really important to make sure that when the children come in in the morning they share their feelings and if they are feeling anxious, for example, we can support them and it really helps them through the day. "A small thing can have a big impact on their day.

"Children are relieved when they let their feelings out."