Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
Rygaards has developing systems and structures to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health across the whole-school community. We were successfully accredited by the Wellbeing Award for Schools (WAS) team in June 2024.
Over 1000 schools are accredited through WAS and 93% of accredited schools report a large or medium impact on student, staff and parent wellbeing.
There were many strengths identified during the verification process and this verification is just a part of our journey at Rygaards to further promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health.
Our Vision
At Rygaards International School we promote, develop, equip, and prepare healthy learners for life. We are committed, through our policies, to make it our mission to promote resilience, positive wellbeing and mental health for all our students and staff.
We understand wellbeing to be a state of being confident, fulfilled and healthy. We aim to drive this message forward, and to ensure that mental health and emotional wellbeing is the responsibility of the whole school community. We strive to create a safe and secure environment, which provides excellent mental health support, appropriate intervention and shows understanding. We aspire to put wellbeing at the heart of our school in our quest for successful learning.
Our Strategy
At Rygaards International School, we aim to promote positive mental health for every student, member of staff and stakeholder. We promote positive wellbeing through the school’s values, beliefs, policies and actions which are embedded within the school, the wider community and curriculum.
The Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health strategy aims to:
- Promote positive mental health in all staff and students
- Increase understanding and awareness of common mental health issues
- Alert staff to early warning signs of poor mental health
- Provide support to staff working with young people with mental health issues
- Provide support to students suffering mental ill health and their peers and parents
Read more in this document: “Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy at Rygaards International School 2023-2024“.
Our Actions
Our work to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health includes:
- Committing to clear strategy that further promotes emotional wellbeing and mental health as a part of the school’s Strategic and Action Plans
- Ensuring that emotional wellbeing and mental health is regarded as the responsibility of all
- Training for staff so they are confident in responding to the needs of pupil
- Working with the whole school community to support emotional wellbeing and mental health
- Ensuring systems and external partnerships are in place to support different types of emotional and mental health needs.
- Actively promoting emotional wellbeing and mental health for Rygaards staff
Information about How to Access Help and Support
You can find information about how to access help and support available, both internally at Rygaards School and from other local and national services in this document: “Signposting for Parents“. We always strongly encourage parents to keep school informed of any support in place, so we can work together with parents to support your child.
