Rachel Whitton, Deputy Head Pastoral and Boarding at Heathfield School explains the mental health and wellbeing it has adopted following its success in Australia.

With mental health continuing to feature prominently in the news, the central importance of happiness and wellbeing is never far from our minds. Taking a positive approach to help students develop the pillars of good mental health to stay well and optimise quality of life is key, and with careful planning this can become an integral part of school life and minimise the spread of the mental health pandemic.

At Heathfield we have chosen to implement an innovative mental health and wellbeing programme which has taken Australia by storm and were fortunate to be the first UK school to adopt the programme. Rather than identifying those in distress or at risk, the positive education programme aims to promote wellbeing from the outset.

At Heathfield School, students can learn about the different aspects of positive psychology and related strategies that they can use in their day to day lives both now and in the future. With the increase in mental health issues among teenagers it is imperative that schools address these issues in a way that is preventative, just as you might keep yourself physically healthy by eating, exercising, and sleeping well.

We have chosen to implement an innovative mental health and wellbeing programme which has taken Australia by storm and were fortunate to be the first UK school to adopt the programme _ Rachel Whitton, Heathfield School

Students in forms one to three receive weekly or fortnightly flourishing lessons which include yoga, meditation and mindfulness and strategies developed from research in positive psychology and positive education. A part of these lessons include Bounce Forwards resilience curriculum. Examples of such lessons might include healthy habits for mental wellbeing, considering random acts of kindness and developing their character strengths. They are given time to reflect on such strategies and are encouraged to practise them outside of the lessons.

Students in form four this year are embarking on mental health mentor training, a course we have co-written with Alicia Drummond, founder of the Teen Tips website. This will give students understanding of the psychology of mental health and illness, listening skills and health coping strategies. They will have lessons in active listening skills and elements of cognitive behavioural therapy to help them to understand how unhelpful thought patterns can be reframed to reduce irrational reactions.

As part of the new sixth form programme, students can opt into studying for an RSPH accredited level two qualification as a young health champion. This is a recognised health award specialising in health improvement, health promotion and in focussing on emotional wellbeing. This will lead to students taking leadership for support and promotion of emotional wellbeing within the school community. They will also receive training to be peer educators, using the mental health foundations peer educator programme, playing a part in campaigns, assemblies, and mental health days in school.

Both staff and pupils are encouraged to take advantage of wellbeing initiatives such as doggy therapy once a week, yoga classes once a week and life coaching and wellbeing peer mentors. For staff we offer a wellbeing therapist, yoga, free meals, monthly social opportunities, life coaching, and are part of the employee assistance programme (EAP), delivered by Health Assured the UK and Irelands leading wellbeing provider.

Over the last year our flourishing curriculum has developed and grown from an innovative Australian based positive education curriculum to a tailor-made provision for the students and staff at our school. It is constantly being evaluated and adapted to target the areas of greatest need. This way we can enable our students to truly flourish and achieve their potential while enjoying life and learning.

We analyse the impact of this programme by using flourishDx surveys for staff and pupils to inform a variety of proactive initiatives, risk assess areas of concern, strength identification, mood tracking and target support for both staff and pupils. Figure 1 illustrates the progress that has been seen in the comparison of our two surveys which highlight the rise in positive emotions from May 2021 to June 2022.

Read more about the IET World Mental Health Day campaign

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