I’ve split this task up into each of the wellbeing indicators below but generally, being an independent school the vast majority of the pupils I teach are from social groups A/B/C1.
- Active – We are a very active school. Outdoor learning is one of our biggest strengths, as is sport.
- Respected – We have a student government (that I help run) and regular student surveys. One of the school values is ‘Respect’ and that goes both ways.
- Responsible – Pupils have several opportunities to take on responsibilities, from the student government to peer mentors and prefects.
- Included – The school has a very inclusive atmosphere. We have a higher proportion of BAME students than other local schools and openly LGBT+ pupils.
- Safe – Our child protection officer is very pro active. The small size of the school means staff keep a close eye on pupils.
- Healthy – Physical health of pupils is well catered for – literally as we still have an onsite kitchen! Mental health provision and support is one of the key improvement targets of the school this year.
- Achieving – We try to make sure pupils are able to pursue their interests. Academic achievement is generally very good compared to pupils’ MidYIS scores.
- Nurtured – We often get comments about how the school has a ‘family feel’. This is really important as, whilst our pupil may be well off, they are do not necessarily have a nurturing home environment. For some of our pupils home is school, as we have a contingent of pupils who board.
Hi Chris. I wondered if your school has groups that have been set up to support BAME and LGBT+ pupils and raise awareness of diversity in school and beyond, or if diverse voices are included as part of the curriculum/school activities, or both? Is there perhaps some sort of model of what already works well that your school is thinking of applying to support those with mental health problems and raise awareness?
There aren’t any formal groups as such, our school is very small! Promoting diversity and awareness is pushed mostly from the very top, the school has a pretty simple ‘everyone’s welcome’ approach. Mental health on the other hand we are working pretty hard on. A large percentage of the staff (including myself) are qualified mental health first aiders. Our guidance department (which is one person!) is very proactive, and staff are quickly made aware of any issues. We are also encouraged to share concerns with tutors and guidance regularly, even if it isn’t something that would warrant any paperwork. There’s also quite a lot of support for pupils with issues, we partner with a local support/therapy service for the most serious cases.
I agree with the ‘everyone is welcome’ approach as it promotes an environment of inclusion without singling out any particular group which, I think, can have the opposite effect – dividing pupils based on their ethnicity, gender identity etc.
I am very interested in your schools efforts to address mental health issues; it is something I am very aware of in our own school and the mental health first aid training you mentioned sounds like it could be very useful – is it provided by the NHS? What does it involve?
Yes, it is an NHS Scotland program, details can be found here –>
Hi Chris,
Interesting to hear about your school and I like how you have used the SHANARRI indicators as your evaluation.
My school have been looking at different approaches to nurture – if you look back at the comments in my blog from last year for this task you will be able to see some of what we implement.
My colleague Zara Fyfe undertook her practitioner enquiry last year on LGBT+ so you might want to have a look at her TLP poster?
Thanks, Gill
Thanks Gill, I’ll have a look!