Leavening Community Primary School had a special guest last week as professional skateboarder and ADHD ambassador, Ryan Swain, paid a visit to talk about ADHD, Mental Health, and the benefits of skateboarding.

The event was a huge success, with all the children captivated and engaged throughout the talk.

Ryan spoke to the children about ADHD, explaining what it is and what to look out for in terms of signs and symptoms.

He discussed anxiety, depression, impulsive behavioral patterns, and emotional responses, teaching the children to be aware of these not only in themselves but also in their loved ones and others.

One of the main messages Ryan conveyed to the children was that it's okay to be different.

He highlighted that everybody learns and copes with things differently, and emphasized the importance of self-confidence and being empowered in their learning and progression through life.

Ryan also addressed mental health, letting the children know that it's okay to not be okay sometimes.

After the talk, Ryan joined the children in the playground for some skateboarding.

Every child got a chance to try it out, and he even convinced one of the teachers to give it a go for the first time.

Sian Mitchell, the headteacher and SENCo, praised Ryan for his powerful message.

She said: "Ryan motivated each of our pupils with a simple and key message: Using his skateboarding expertise, he taught them, metaphorically, sometimes you will get knocked off and you will fall but it’s whether your strong enough to rise up and ride again that really matters.

"Our children are very emotionally literate at Leavening and teaching them about mental health is a key part of our personal development. "To have Ryan speak first hand about the stigma of ADHD and how this impacted him growing up, allowed them to explore further and ask meaningful questions to help understand.

"Ryan was amazed at the knowledge and empathy our pupils have for ADHD and other neurological differences."