Healthy Minds and Wellbeing

Our personal development provision aims to ensure that all of our students have a strong understanding of the issues that affect them and society in general. 

What support does Kingdown School offer for healthy minds and wellbeing?

We are aware that mental and emotional wellbeing are becoming increasing priorities in the care and progression of young people. The information below has been gathered via the training and professional development of key members of pastoral staff at Kingdown, with the intention of outlining services we can offer as a school, as well as basic measures parents can take at home, to nurture their child’s mental and emotional needs.

We recognise how important it is to develop a young person’s mental and emotional needs as well as caring for their academic needs. We therefore provide a number of services and encourage wellbeing in a number of ways:

In lessons:

• Students receive important education on mental health and wellbeing through their PSHE lessons in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4
• At certain times during the year, individual year groups are visited by speakers from Kooth, Motiv8 and organisations who focus on physical and mental wellbeing.

In tutor time:

• All students learn about the importance of emotional and mental health through the whole-school pastoral curriculum in tutor time.
• Kingdown links in with the work of such national events as Mental Health Awareness Week.

Outside of lesson time:

• Students are able to have appointments with a trained counsellor in school (usually for a block of 6 weeks).
• Students are able to receive adult mentoring sessions with a trained youth worker in school.
• Students are able to access Emotional Literacy Support provided by our trained ELSA staff.
• Students are able to access mindfulness instruction or take part in the Introduction to Mindfulness course.

We work closely with external agencies to make sure that referrals are made without delay.

Kingdown School is also a Thrive Hub school. This means we are supported by Wiltshire Council to run a number of services in school. For more information on Wiltshire’s Thrive Hub initiative, please click here.