A pioneering focus on mental health and wellbeing at Slindon College

Adam Sharpe, assistant headteacher, DSL and mental fitness lead at Slindon College, describes the innovative ways in which the school supports the emotional wellbeing of its pupils.
Slindon College offers an educational experience for pupils who may struggle to fulfil their potential in mainstream schools or need help removing barriers to learning. Every child at Slindon College is valued for the person that they are. All pupils are encouraged to develop their talents, and the college supports them to achieve their personal best in all that they do.
If pupils’ wellbeing isn't in the right place, it’s difficult for them to engage in lessons and make progress. We have a whole range of wellbeing initiatives that run throughout the school. Some of these are weekly activities, some are annual events, and all are focused on usualising mental health. We prioritise making sure that pupils are aware of what they can do to look after their mental fitness and wellbeing.
A project that we have recently initiated is Learning Energy - this allows pupils to understand the energy state they are in in order to access their lessons as effectively as possible. Learning Energy was developed by Sacha Clark-Schrickel, our lead occupational therapist, and me.
We found that low energy levels amongst pupils were resulting in fatigue and missed information when learning, whereas when pupils were over stimulated with sensory overload this was leading to difficulties with concentration and focus. When pupils have ‘just right’ energy they are ready to listen and learn whilst filtering sensory information effectively. The initiative helps pupils to understand that in different contexts different energy levels will be ‘just right’; for example, the learning energy requirements for a practical PE lesson are very different from that of a maths lesson.
The Learning Energy concept enables pupils to utilise strategies to support their learning and to give them the ability to feel calm and comfortable within the classroom when their energy levels are either too high or too low. Pupils are encouraged to address energy levels that are too low or high by communicating how they are feeling and shifting their Learning Energy through readily accessible tools and methods.
Issues with Learning Energy aren’t always physical and can relate to metacognitive skills such as pace. An example would be a pupil rushing their work or not reading a question with enough time or care.
Our pupils have all had the opportunity to contribute to the development of Learning Energy and comments have included: “It helps keeps us on track of how we react” and “I feel like I can support myself better and am more confident in focusing on my tasks and achieving my goals”.
Our main focus is to prepare the pupils for the real world and, ultimately, we're working to make sure that they're rounded individuals, that they are able to have a good level of mental fitness and wellbeing, and therefore become valued members of their communities.
We run a Weekly Woodland Walk where we make use of the South Downs, and our Time to Talk programme offers regular sessions for a number of students to confide in a trusted adult. We also have individual student meetings that take place throughout the term to ensure all pupils have the opportunity to pass on any concerns they may have.
In addition to this, we hold a range of annual events. These include Inside Out Day, where students wear a single item of clothing inside out to represent that people aren't always feeling the same on the inside as they are on the outside. Each autumn term, the Slindon Memory Tree encourages pupils to think about things and people that are important to them, or people that they've lost, and helps pupils hold their memories close to them. The tree is lit by fairy lights to brighten the shorter days. As a school, we also celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week every year.
To allow us to measure the effectiveness of the mental fitness and wellbeing initiatives we offer at Slindon College, our staff and pupil Mental Fitness and Wellbeing Survey runs twice a year. Multiple choice questions are asked that are guided by the Boing Boing Resilience Framework. Analysis of the results of these surveys is used to inform future support and initiatives so we can ensure we continue to do our best for the whole Slindon College community.
Slindon College in West Sussex provides a specialist learning environment for boys aged 8-18. The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum to all pupils with CReSTeD accredited learning activities and experiences that are personalised to meet the individual needs of pupils.
Staff at Slindon College promote excellence and innovation in mental health and wellbeing in every aspect of school life. Adam Sharpe leads the wide range of initiatives on offer to pupils throughout the school.
Slindon College won the 2024 Independent Schools Association (ISA) Award for Excellence and Innovation in Mental Health and Wellbeing. The school also holds the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools Award (Silver).