Health and wellbeing are an integral part of the school’s pastoral care, and our brand new Health and Wellbeing Centre, which opened at the start of term, offers enhanced support to all boys.
Boys’ formative years can bring challenges, and while we always aim for boys to learn and embed strategies for their own self-care and positive wellbeing through citizenship mornings, mentoring and myriad other opportunities, we also know that there are times when they may need extra support. The new Health and Wellbeing Centre, housing the medical centre, counselling service and chaplain, enables the school’s wider pastoral team to work collaboratively to provide the best possible joined-up care for boys and creates a warm and welcoming environment in which boys can step away from daily school life and feel at ease.
Throughout its development, our nurses, counselling team, chaplain and the wider pastoral team worked to ensure the new hub offers all boys a welcoming, safe place conducive to treating and supporting their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Alongside a larger medical centre and private counselling rooms, the centre also incorporates a quiet area. By spring, there will also be access to a garden where boys can take in a few peaceful moments or reconnect before returning to lessons.
The new centre also allows for a dedicated doctor’s treatment room, the re-introduction of on-site physiotherapy and the opportunity to welcome external providers into the school to provide additional support services to boys.
Lead Nurse Jill Turner Webb explains, “We are passionate about giving every boy the best possible care and recognise that boys’ physical and mental wellbeing impacts their school experience. The new centre allows us to support boys when they need help, whether physical, mental or emotional. This truly joined-up pastoral care provision is a real benefit for every boy.”
Lead School Counsellor Amanda Horlick-Coutts adds, “The new space has surpassed my expectations, and all of the boys who I have seen have immediately felt settled into our new, cosy surroundings. It works well to protect the confidentiality of pupils accessing support and offers them a safe place that feels separate from the school to offload their worries.”
“It is a dedicated safe place for boys to seek refuge; a bolthole in their otherwise very busy daily lives, where they can confidentially seek support without fear of judgment. As we continue to work to break down the stigma around mental health, especially for boys/men, having a dedicated building that places its importance equal to that of a pupil’s physical health speaks volumes to me, and I am excited to be part of it.”
