Staff

Our Head of Wellbeing & Personal Development is Mrs L E M Rooney

Solihull's Wellbeing and Personal Development curriculum is designed to ensure that mental health and wellbeing, PSHEE (Physical, Social, Health and Economic Education), and RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) are afforded the time and importance needed to cradle a safe and healthy learning career for all pupils. This initial year brings together the excellent foundation work on growth mindset and resilience taught in the Preparatory School and the ASPire and Enrichment programmes in the Sixth Form by creating a curriculum for all pupils from Thirds through to Upper Fifth. This means that every child will have a WPD lesson each week.

The Headmaster and the Senior Leadership Team have consistently provisioned for wellbeing and mental health, recognising that long-term academic and personal success are only possible from a foundation of resiliency, self-confidence, social and personal awareness and emotional intelligence. Importantly, this curriculum is designed to ensure awareness about vulnerabilities and risks for all of us and to upskill earlier in life so that early intervention is more readily achieved.  The curriculum we have devised for this launch year is a blended design drawing from the latest in effective PSHEE and Mental Health initiatives and incorporating Mindfulness in Schools Project, the University of Pennsylvania’s Resiliency/How to Thrive Programme and the University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre’s Character Development Training. Given that from 2019 all schools are obligated to teach all students about RSE and from 2020 Mental Health, we are really pleased to have been so ahead of the game. It means that pupils here can have consistent, applied, and well thought out ‘learning for life’ experiences that will help them to get through the ebb and flow of growing up, and move into adulthood more roundly prepared for life.

Examinations

WPD does not form part of any exam such as GCSE.  There will however be ongoing reviews and assessments with teachers and opportunities for obtaining certificates in areas such as Mental Health First Aid and Penn Resiliency Mentorship. A general report is provided to parents in the spring-summer highlighting areas of key personal development and wellbeing.

Stretch & Challenge

WPD is a personal experience however pupils will be encouraged to be part of a Community of Practice in each lesson. The philosophy behind this is that people with higher order thinking and experience can draw the confidence out of some of their less-confident or aware peers who in turn can challenge complacency and lack of awareness to those more able pupils.  Much of the curriculum is discursive and metacognitive which will create safe exploration of ‘Who am I? How am I? Who and how do I want to be?’.

External Speakers & Specialist Events

Each year group will have at least one specialist PSHEE-related event day per academic year.  In addition, there are ‘masterclasses’ often including external speakers once per academic term.  

Trips & Visits

Appropriate trips and visits take place throughout the year such as a Wellbeing Retreat at Snowdonia School. There are also opportunities for pupils to attend MH conferences, life skills centres such as Safeside and other organisations.