Wellbeing

During the Summer holidays in 2021, the school completed a project to create a Wellbeing Centre in the middle of the school. 

The Wellbeing Centre, which took two months to complete, connects all the relevant areas of the school for enhancing the students’ wellbeing: learning support, the counsellor, the nurses, and a dedicated wellbeing room.

The space has been designed to be a quiet, safe space in the heart of the school, where any student can go, whenever they need to get away from the hustle and bustle of school life, or seek support for something affecting them outside of school.

The Head of Wellbeing at King Edward’s, Chris Jackson, says ‘The wellbeing room itself is truly one of a kind, with carefully considered décor and furniture it provides a sanctuary of peace and calm to help all pupils find some balance and perspective in the frenetic world of a modern day academically focused secondary school.

Complete with comfortable seating, bean bags and private pods, the space has been designed to facilitate mindfulness sessions, peer mentoring, curriculum support and alone time. The space provides students with a one stop shop to seek physical, emotional health and wellbeing services, whenever they are required.

The room is staffed by dedicated and highly-trained pastoral staff, who are able to meet pupils on both a timetabled and impromptu basis where they can lend support and a listening ear.’ 

Our students, have always benefited from a strong pastoral service, where we support students academically, physically, and mentally.

There are curricular wellbeing classes for Year 7 to Year 11 at King Edwards. 

At King Edward's Curricular Wellbeing follows a bespoke curriculum taught by specialist staff. Based upon the foundations of PSHE, Curricular Wellbeing is ever-changing as it is adapted in response to the emerging needs within the school body. The key topics covered at KES are: health & wellbeing, relationships, and living in the wider world. 

In the sections below, some of the topics covered for each year group are shown. Please note, this doesn't include all topics and parents are invited to contact Mr Jackson if they are concerned about a particular issue and would like to discuss how it is covered within the programme.

Head of Department, Mr Jackson, shares more information about Wellbeing at King Edward VI School.

Year 7 

Term 1: organisation, communication, friendships, boundaries, anti-bullying

Term 2: respect, communication, mental health, cyber safety, neurodiversity 

Term 3: drugs, alcohol and tobacco, keeping healthy, climate change, careers

Year 8 

Term 1: environment, emotional intelligence, friendships, Imperialism, anti-bullying, stereotypes, social norms, gender identities

Term 2: courts and legal system, bereavement, suicide, sexting, myths and facts about sex, relationships, consent, neurodiversity, careers

Term 3:gratitude, emotional resilience, eating disorders, gambling, peer pressure, illegal drugs, consumer rights, budgeting, purpose of life

Year 8 are taught Wellbeing by pastoral staff who have been trained to deliver difficult topics, in two periods per fortnight. 

Year 9 

Term 1: sleep, eating, environment, bereavement, family models, disability awareness, imperialism, anti-bullying, radicalisation, racism

Term 2: careers, abuse, sexual harassment, sex, consent, pornography, body image, mental health, online footprint, careers

Term 3: institutional sexism, same sex relationships, exam stress, citizenship, encountering drugs alcohol and tobacco, self-awareness, resilience, materialism

Year 10 

Term 1:environment, drugs and the law, self harm, censorship, imperialism, gaslighting, emotional literacy 

Term 2:mental health in adults, online relationships, healthy intimate relationships, contraception and STI’s, abortion 

Term 3:gender identity, sexism, careers, citizenship 

Year 11 

Term 1:circular economy, sexual norms and expectations, pornography, rape culture, imperialism, respectful relationships, tax and finances

Term 2:eating disorders, exam stress, festivals parties and going out, careers

Clubs and Opportunities 

Given the swathe of research showing the wellbeing benefits of exercise and playing music there are a wealth of both sporting and musical clubs to choose from. Outside of this, other clubs which promote good mental health and can provide mindful opportunities include; 

• Art Character Design (Year 7 and Lower School) 
• Library leaders (all years) 
• Cactus Club (all years) 
• Card Games (all years) 
• Chess (all years) 
• Cookery (Year 10) 
• Diversity Societies – aimed at supporting all of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion goals of the School' (all years)
• Debating Club (all years) 
• Doodle Club (all years) 
• E-Safety Cyber Ambassadors (by selection) 
• Hobbies Club (all years) 
• Scamp Club (all years) 
• Sewing Club (Year 8) 
• Yoga and Meditation (all years) 

In order for all students to flourish academically, the School encourages the adoption of the Growth Mindset, as pioneered by Carol Dweck. A Growth Mindset is seen in an individual who seeks new challenges, accepts feedback and responds constructively. By contrast a closed mindset can be observed in one who is afraid of new things and responds negatively to feedback. 

The School encourages Growth Mindset both through teaching it as part of the wellbeing curriculum and also through the mechanisms through which feedback is offered by individual teachers. In particular the message to students and parents is that personal improvement is the most important aspect of learning, and that comparing oneself to others is counter-productive. 

The co-curricular provision at the School is central to all five of the ‘PERMA’ goals. Non-academic activities contribute towards increasing Positive Emotions, teach students to engage in a task and seek to become better at it purely for the sake of trying to something well, help foster positive Relationships both between students and also between students and staff, can help derive Meaning and satisfaction in life and create a sense of positive accomplishment.   

There are two aspects of physical health that are vital to wellbeing: 

1. Maintaining physical health through a balanced diet and regular exercise  

2. Challenging yourself physically and gaining resilience through experience 

Therefore, areas of the School that contribute to this area of wellbeing are: PE, House Competitions, The Duke of Edinburgh Award, Year 7 and Year 8 Summer Camp.

A person’s mental health and their wellbeing are sometimes interchangeable terms. In a school setting, mental health often focuses on supporting individuals when their mental health is poor, whereas wellbeing focuses on preventing lapses in mental health occurring. At KES, students learn about good mental health practice through their PSHE lessons and mental health is a frequent topic of assemblies. 

The welfare of all members of the School community is of paramount importance. No student or member of staff should be working in circumstances that are detrimental to their physical or mental health. Should such conditions arise it is vital that senior leaders are made aware of what is happening; they will take all steps within their power to provide solutions where possible. 

Acting kindly and selflessly is central to all five ‘PERMA’ goals, and the School is committed to a very broad range of Charitable goals, involving several hundred students. The School will work towards providing further opportunities for all students to engage in these kinds of activities.