Promoting good mental health in boarding schools
Dr Felicia Kirk Headmistress, St Mary’s Calne Times have changed across
What do we mean by ‘mental health’ though?
We also have nurses on hand day and
society – very much for the better
Some conditions clearly qualify – such as
night, school counsellors, and direct access
– when it comes to talking about
clinical depression, anorexia and other forms
to other mental health practitioners. Many
of self-harm – but should we also include,
boarding schools, including St Mary’s Calne,
for example, feelings of homesickness many
also offer bespoke wellbeing programmes
children have in the early stages of their time
covering many areas such as emotional
at boarding school (and not just in the first
health, positive relationships, social media,
term, by the way), or anxiety about exams?
mindfulness, self-esteem and resilience.
The lines are not easy to draw and indeed
At St Mary’s, the wellbeing programme
it’s possible for bigger problems to develop
is supplemented by a series of talks and
from something that could have been dealt
workshops. All in all, if there is a problem, it’s
have made working life almost
with sooner, or for a superficial worry to
hard to imagine a child would have better
impossible.
mask a deeper one. But it’s also important
access to help in another environment.
mental health issues. No serious employer is without a programme to encourage employees to be open about their experiences, and there are many great examples of individuals dealing successfully with challenges that would once
not to ‘medicalise’ feelings that are entirely Nevertheless, there is still reluctance to
natural when a girl or boy is experiencing
Where boarding schools can make the
talk about mental health issues (or special
them for the first time.
difference for most of our students, however, is in the day-to-day lifestyle that we
efforts would not be needed) and it would be surprising if school leaders – especially
Ultimately the best approach is a balanced
offer before anything goes wrong. We work
leaders of girls’ schools – weren’t also
one. Achieving that is easier said than done
hard to establish a culture across the school
reluctant. National statistics show girls are
of course but, in my experience, this is
that maximises the chances of identifying
somewhat more likely to have mental health
where boarding schools can really help.
problems but also minimises the chances of them arising. As I said earlier, some of
problems than boys. It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that these must be worse when children are away from home and feeling a lot of pressure to do well inside and outside the classroom. Happily this is just not the case. In practice there are many reasons why a good boarding school environment today is positive for the mental health of both girls and boys.
WELLBEING PROGRAMMES First, all our staff are trained to consider these issues and to spot when something might be going wrong. Housemasters and mistresses in particular really get to know the children in loco parentis and, between them, they have a huge range of experience of the problems they can face.
the feelings pupils have are just part of normal life and being in a supportive and understanding environment will be enough to get them through them. Well-run boarding schools and boarding houses are, by nature, organised and structured environments. In my experience,
