Wellbeing Programme

The values of love, compassion and mutual respect underpin all our activities and relationships. We are proud that our students leave us as well-rounded individuals, with confidence in themselves, resilience and respect for others.

Our pupils are encouraged to see their value, and the value of others, and to become courageous and responsible citizens who contribute to society.

Although King's is a large school, with amazing facilities and the very best staff, our structure means that pupils experience the intimacy of a small school, where every individual student and member of staff is known on a personal level.

Each division has its own Principal and own pastoral team. The size of classes and year groups is such that no pupil can go unnoticed. We are very proud of our pastoral care and excellent communication with parents.

Importantly, we can also offer your child a seamless journey from pre-school through to Sixth Form. This provides many advantages; our staff are familiar not only with the whole educational journey and the requirements at each successive Key Stage.

Small classes allow every single child to be valued as an individual and have their talents nurtured. A defining feature of King's is the strong relationships that flourish between students and with teachers. A pupil's class teacher or Form Tutor is central to his or her wellbeing and each year group has a Head of Year, who takes an overview of pupils' academic and pastoral welfare.

Along with Pupil Managers, nurses, a counsellor and support staff, we know that our pupils are very well supported.

Pupils take part in daily Form activities led by their tutor, in which they reflect on themes such as kindness, diversity, building resilience, emotional wellbeing and study skills. Tutor groups will plan and deliver their own assemblies, often to mark significant awareness days or historical events and they also participate in a hotly contested weekly current affairs quiz. The form tutor programme dovetails with our King’s Compass and PHSE provision, ensuring that time is allocated to revisit important topics for further consolidation and reflection. The programme also remains responsive to the students’ needs and is adapted to address topical issues.

Our Mentoring Programme allows our Sixth Form and Year 11 Mentors to meet with and support younger mentees. Pupils are paired up and then engage in an effective and purposeful mentoring programme, with older students supporting younger pupils in making positive progress and guiding them along often personal journeys of success.

The whole school come together as a King’s community each week for a School Assembly. These are led by a range of staff and pupils covering a wide range of themes. Our assembly programme is an extension of our broad King’s curriculum, offering an opportunity to discuss cross-curricular themes, encouraging pupils to reflect on the world around and dig deep for meaning and belonging in what we do. These whole school gatherings are also complemented by year group assemblies where age appropriate and bespoke issues can be discussed with individual year groups and addressed by Heads of Year, School Nurses, Pupil Managers or external speakers.

Our Pupil Leadership opportunities are numerous and far reaching. From the moment a pupil starts at King’s, they are offered leadership opportunities as Form Captains, House representatives, Wellbeing Ambassadors or Council Representative. In Year 6, 10 and 12, Prefects and Monitors are appointed whilst others engage actively in our Mentoring Programme. Our assemblies also offer pupils the opportunity to practice their public speaking and exercise the art of presentation.

Pupil Voice is very important at King’s, as we help to develop civic minded leaders of the future. Our pupils are offered opportunities to represent the views of their peers on our School Council, Core Council, our Equality and Diversity Council, the Catering Committee, POC Group, the Wellbeing Committee and Pupil Leadership Group. We aim, where possible, to address the issues raised, making King’s even greater.

Being outdoors fosters a sense of connection with the natural world, enhancing emotional wellbeing and reducing stress levels. Nature has a calming effect on the mind, promoting relaxation and a sense of tranquillity. It provides opportunities for reflection, self-discovery, and mindfulness, promoting emotional balance and resilience and improving social interaction and healthy relationships. At King’s we ‘take our learning outdoors’ as much as possible, especially in the summer months.

People who have meaning in their lives experience less stress, anxiety and depression. Volunteering for a cause, being part of a team, and helping others are all well-documented ways to boost wellbeing. At King’s we aim to develop courageous and responsible citizens who contribute to society through leadership and service. Our pupils are encouraged to volunteer their time, to help others, to contribute to community organisations and fundraise for local groups.

Our annual Volunteering Fair involves representatives from around 20 local and national organisations, who come into school to encourage older pupils to join them as volunteers. We have large numbers of pupils each year volunteering their time for the benefit of local organisations, often supporting their Duke of Edinburgh Awards or volunteering through the National Citizen Service.