The picture of health

THE PICTUREof health

Whether teaching mindfulness and building resilience or exploring bereavement and developing social skills, these three prep schools prioritise their pupils’ emotional, mental and physical wellbeing

Liberty Woodland’s book nook is an area where children can select a book and fi nd an area in their class den, or a relaxing area outdoors to read

Wellbeing provision is recognised as an important, essential part of all independent schools, and many will see their academic work and pastoral care as complementary and interlinked. In pre-prep and prep schools more recently, this focus takes the form of ensuring that the pupils’ emotional resilience is bolstered and that they’re able to cope with the events of the last two years and any resulting gaps in their development. In addition to nurturing this internal sense of wellbeing, is the aim of enhancing the wellbeing achieved through social connection and pupils’ involvement in charitable and community giving… ▲

SHARING THOUGHTS

A bespoke curriculum, meditation practice and mindfulness podcasts put pupils’ mental health at the very heart of the school ethos at Liberty Woodland in South London

Liberty Woodland was thrilled to have been declared a finalist in the Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing category in this magazine’s awards campaign. Teachers here know that to give a child the best chance of success in life, and to equip them for any and everything that comes their way in the future, a strong focus on personal, social and emotional development is crucial. Positive mental health, alongside a focus on physical and emotional wellbeing, allows children to not only be happy and healthy but prepares them for deep learning.

The school’s wellbeing curriculum for all ages encompasses personal, social and emotional development, alongside dedicated time to enhance the feeling of connection to the Liberty Woodland community and appreciation for their place in the world.

Each class begins each day with a morning meeting: half-an-hour that’s fully dedicated to wellbeing. During these meetings, the group practises mindfulness, share how they’re feeling, create personal affirmations and set daily intentions as individuals and as a class.

Teaching is project-based, providing meaningful learning experiences which are relevant to children’s lives, work towards a goal and have an authentic audience. In a recent project, a class of year one children – who were enjoying their daily meditation sessions and wanted to teach the wider world about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation – created a Google site with individual meditation podcasts, each scripted, performed and recorded by each pupil independently. There’s little more thrilling to a child than witnessing adults interacting with something they’ve created and feeding back on their experience. The podcasts were launched online, and as QR codes hanging from a meditation tree as part of an end-of-term celebration, which more than 500 members of the public attended, including some speakers from COP26, who loved the nature content in many of the podcasts.

Children here are resilient, confident, flexible, emotionally intelligent and creative lifelong learners, collaborative problemsolvers, happy in mind, body and spirit, fully prepared to succeed not only in the next phase of their education, but to succeed in life.

The school’s wellbeing focus was also positively acknowledged in its latest ISI inspection report, which stated ‘during discussions pupils spoke with mature understanding of the way learning outdoors and the beauty of nature enables them to think deeply and develop spiritually.’

SHARING FEELINGS

With empathy a core value at St Christopher’s in Surrey, sensitive subjects are discussed with great care and pupils are brought closer to the wider world with a plethora of fundraising initiatives

St Christopher’s is a place where pupils flourish, thrive and where each child is encouraged to shine, where wellbeing and learning are carefully aligned as united forces. The school’s aim is to nurture independent, highly-motivated and engaged learners within a dynamic environment that is driven by the principles of excellence, empathy, and endeavour, which support the future skills needed for a globally-connected society.

Michael Fullan, a worldwide expert in Whole System Change, talks of learning and wellbeing as being the very “essence” of all we do and “the constellation of purpose, meaning, belongingness, connectedness and contribution to the world” being central to the pupils’ learning (Fullan, 2021). With this in mind, and rooted in the school’s value of empathy, the teaching staff’s coordinated and sustained approach includes organising purposeful experiences and systems where the aim is to build resilience as both individuals and as a community. The prep encapsulates its approach to life at school with the phrase ‘the art of the possible’. This includes the teachers’ ability to promote good mental health, selfregulation, and being unafraid to broach difficult concepts.

An example of how teachers tackle sensitive topics with such young children, would be its approach to bereavement. The school recognises that its children and families benefit from having an opportunity to process feelings about bereavement and grief. To that end, in June, St Christopher’s held an Elephant’s Tea Party, a Child Bereavement UK initiative which encourages children to bring in a photo of a missed loved one, to celebrate their life while allowing the child to talk about their memories. Pupils are invited to choose a place to tie a photo of their loved one onto an apple tree. The school community revisits the apple tree and finds it a valuable source of peace, as the pictures gently float in the breeze. This incredibly positive day sees families come together through this shared experience and celebrate their loved ones.

The prep also peppers its calendar with opportunities for children to contribute to the wider world through supporting charities, such as collecting clothes for Ukraine, Sports Relief, fundraising for the London Air Ambulance and sponsoring a guide dog. This, together with a carefully crafted curriculum and systems that embed authentic pupil voice, is believed to create an ecosystem where wellbeing and learning are a priority.

“People become good at life when they feel safe, valued, and have a sense of purpose and meaning. There’s a need to be engaged in meaningful activities that contribute to the wellbeing of others.” (Fullan, 2021)

At St Christopher’s, this responsibility of aligning wellbeing and learning through sparkling creativity is fully embraced.

Stepping into the spotlight

Coventry’s Pattison College is a non-selective, all-through school with a performing arts programme which inspires pupils of all ages

Founded in 1949, Pattison is a very special school because of its highly-acclaimed performing arts pedigree, combined with a strong academic focus. Pupils can take advantage of confidence-building performance opportunities in dance, drama and music, as well as a first-class education. This is all within a family environment that has all the benefits of an uninterrupted all-through education and a strong focus on pastoral care.

All children, from the age of four up to year nine, have a speech and drama lesson as part of their timetable. This lesson enables pupils to mature into confident, articulate members of society. From a young age, pupils are also encouraged to express themselves through dance and to develop the physical control and discipline required to dance, through weekly lessons. In music, specialist staff teach all pupils from the Early Years up, and pupils are encouraged to join the junior and senior choirs, which take part in performances throughout the year, as well as competing successfully in local festivals.

At all levels, the performing arts are taught by specialist teachers, and most pupils coming

Pupils are encouraged to express themselves through dance to Pattison take advantage of the vast range of dance activities. Individual timetables are designed for pupils, based on their interest, experience and ability. A sports club also takes place three times a week at lunchtimes for those who aren’t dance enthusiasts.

Being a small school, Pattison celebrates and values each child’s individuality, and staff take the time to get to know every pupil, supporting them, helping them and encouraging them to learn at their own pace. This pastoral care continues right through their time at Pattison. The children are supported, challenged or extended, depending on their individual needs, so that they’re always working to their full potential. All children are given the opportunity to develop their learning and interests as individuals and within small groups.

Pattison is proud of its pupils’ fantastic achievements. Some children leave the school at age 16 and the majority of these

children continue on to further education and university. Other children chose to stay on at Pattison until age 18 to participate in the schools excellent musical theatre course, which prepares students for careers both as performers and teachers. Students who leave Pattison at the end of the musical theatre course are extremely well prepared for this, with qualifications and skills in dance, drama and singing.

Every Pattison student has the opportunity to shine and fulfil their full potential, in preparation for a bright future.

For more information, see pattisons.co.uk and for school visits email office@pattisons.co.uk or call on 024 7645 5031.

AT ALL LEVELS, THE PERFORMING ARTS are taught by specialist teachers, and most pupils COMING TO PATTISON TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VAST RANGE OF DANCE ACTIVITIES

The school has a strong academic focus

Children join the junior and senior choirs and take part in musical performances

SHARING POSITIVITY

The recognition that happiness has a positive impact on pupils’ academic success and social skills makes wellbeing a priority at UCS Pre-Prep and Junior Branch in North London

At UCS Pre-Prep and Junior Branch, the emphasis on wellbeing is an integral part of the school ethos, being embedded into both culture and curriculum, not only through dedicated mindfulness and PSHEE lessons, but also as a continuous thread in each school’s daily practice in the classroom and beyond.

It’s the responsibility of all staff to promote the emotional development of pupils and to recognise that valuing their wellbeing will have a direct effect on their social and academic progress, equipping them with confidence and resilience from an early age. This, in turn, will support them through pivotal periods of their lives moving forward.

The pre-prep is accredited with the National Wellbeing Award for Schools, which is testament to its ongoing efforts to put wellbeing at the heart of everything it does. A carefully balanced curriculum ensures pupils understand the importance of their own and others’ mental health; pre-prep children can talk confidently about their emotions, referring to the four ‘zones of regulation’, as well as looking after one another through the House Buddy system and eagerly taking on the role of class Wellbeing Champion. Soulful Singing sessions and Music and Movement mindfulness activities offer further opportunities to nurture pupils’ awareness of wellbeing, as do special visitors like Dudley the dog and the baby ducklings and partridges whom the boys care for.

Naturally, wellbeing remains an essential component of school life when pupils join the Junior Branch. It’s acutely important that they feel safe at school and have plenty of outlets in their daily routines in which to express concerns and worries as well as celebrating achievements.

The Junior Branch teaches wellbeing as a stand-alone subject, alongside PSHEE, with a curriculum that includes an awareness of different forms of mindfulness. Teachers are trained to deliver lessons in a sensitive, empathic manner, so that children always feel supported. Classes may include varying forms of meditation, such as listening to calming voices or gentle music and breathing rhythmically. Simple and effective routines that enable and promote the concept of wellbeing.

A recently converted wellbeing and sensory room allows small groups to sit quietly and work in a peaceful environment. Pupils also benefit from well-attended extracurricular clubs like yoga, gardening and running, to help strike a balance between physical and mental health. As a result of these initiatives, the children enjoy a warm sense of security within a school community where the atmosphere is always happy and energetic.