The Wellbeing Award for Schools

We are delighted to confirm that, in June 2023, Holbrook School for Autism was successful in achieving ‘The Wellbeing Award for Schools.’  This award recognises that we promote emotional wellbeing and support improving mental health provision across our school. A wellbeing team has been assigned and they will continue to embed strategies that support the wellbeing of all staff, students, parents and carers.

Promoting positive wellbeing across the staff team is essential for cultivating a mentally healthy school. Our goal is to create positive and sustainable lifestyles for all staff. Positive staff wellbeing can contribute to improving overall performance and job satisfaction, which in turn has positive effects on our students. Wellbeing champions have attended mental health training courses and are looking to engage in further development opportunities. Staff wellbeing supervisions are available as required. An open door approach applies throughout the senior leadership team and the rest of school.

We endeavour to provide a secure and positive environment in which our students can thrive and achieve their full potential. Our students have a wide range of communication, sensory and emotional needs. It is therefore imperative that all students are given the right tools to communicate, express their views and be given a wide range of learning opportunities. We work alongside external agencies and monitor engagement levels to support student wellbeing on a daily basis. Pupil Wellbeing Club is held weekly to promote an alternative environment for identified students. This is led by our Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) and the Wellbeing team.

As a school we recognise that that our children come from a wide geographical area and this creates some difficulties for families to visit the school. We have appointed an Family Support Worker who liaises with parents and families needing additional support. We hold signposting events and support groups throughout the academic year. We use the ‘Seesaw’ App to improve home school communication.