The Wellbeing Quality Mark
We are delighted to have been awarded the HfL Wellbeing Quality Mark with a focus on emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Participating schools complete a two-part self-evaluation linked to how the school is promoting health and wellbeing in the curriculum, throughout the school environment and across the wider school community. We aim to put wellbeing at the forefront of all of our practice and this evaluation ensures we do this most effectively.
Comments from the external assessor:
”Thank you it was such a pleasure visiting your school, one of the strongest submissions we have had. Your pupils and everyone else I met were simply amazing.”
The assessor identified the following particular strengths:
- A holistic whole school approach to supporting staff and pupil wellbeing
- Pupils’ recognition of how important good physical and mental health is
- A broad and balanced curriculum that gives an excitement for learning
- PSHE curriculum and developments in RSE curriculum
- Music teaching
- PE
- The Hub nurture provision
- Pupil leadership opportunities and pupil voice
- Communication with parents
- Seeking opportunities to further enhance the wellbeing of staff
The pupils at Killigrew are strong advocates for the care and wellbeing support they get at school. Pupils shared how friendly they found the school and how difference was accepted and celebrated. One pupil commented that; ‘We are all treated equally and you can be you.”
The school actively seeks to be part of local and national initiatives that may bring funding, resources and expertise into the school. This has included: Feel Good Week funding from CAMHS last year and a new bid will be submitted next year. The school is currently part of the trailblazing Mental Health national pilot project, an initiative to meet increasing numbers of children with mental health issues. The school is acting as a hub for the Mental Health Support Teams.
Pupils spoke articulately about the different strategies they preferred to use to help calm themselves and reduce stress levels and these included: ‘Reading to calm down. I immerse myself in a different world.’ ‘Talking to people, a trusted friend.’ ‘Sports helps me.’
Music teaching at the school is vibrant and fully inclusive. Music is seen by pupils as a way of improving their own positive wellbeing and that of those attending their performances. ‘It helps raise endorphins and makes us feel happier.’
‘We love sports at Killigrew, we are a sporty school. It gets our hearts pumping and helps us keep healthy and fit.’ Pupils made the link between activity, feeling happier and an increased ability to concentrate. A parent commented on the inclusivity of Sports Day and how it gets better every year following implementation of any feedback.
The Hub, with its focus on nurture, has been established for a few years in the school and continues to have a huge impact on pupil’s positive mental health and attainment. The provision includes an individualised group circle time; communication based activities; building relationship skills; mindfulness teaching and teaching specifically identified maths skills. A pupil who had attended sessions in the hub, now has play leader manager responsibility and explained; ‘I wasn’t confident with maths but it really helped me sort things out and start to feel good.’
There are many opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility during their time at the school. The validation visit gave opportunity to meet with house captains, play leaders, play leader managers and school council members. School council members stated that, ‘It feels good to be part of the council, I can help my school.’