FROM THE HEADMASTER CONTINUED
Promoting Flourishing in Schools
Evidence-based interventions and initiatives to support student wellbeing in schools
New wellbeing groups , drop-in counselling sessions , 65 mental health first aiders and 24-hour support from the Health Centre have enhanced care for our students . We have also been working in close partnership with parents through our Parent Wellbeing Group and a series of talks and webinars .
We ran a Flourishing Conference with Harvard University in October to share our learnings with other schools , with teachers from around the world in attendance .
As I write I am preparing for the annual HMC conference for headteachers , where I will speak about the pioneering work in human flourishing we have been undertaking with Harvard . This research has been shared with schools in 70 countries .
Beyond the curriculum , the breadth of our cocurricular activities in art , drama , music and sport continues to be a real strength at Sevenoaks .
This year our U18 girls are the national indoor hockey champions , our U18 boys ’ basketball team are LISBA winners again , our U17 sailors won the BSDRA team racing finals , and we have been national finalists in golf , cross country , swimming , netball and squash . We have enjoyed an impressive 1200 fixtures , involving 206 teams playing across 24 representative sports , with an incredible participation rate of 83 per cent of students .
The Combined Cadet Force has enjoyed a very successful year , winning gold at this year ’ s Cadet Cambrian Patrol – an outstanding achievement .
Students have participated in over 40 concerts and seven large-scale drama performances including a collaborative production of the Odyssey bringing together physical theatre and live bands .
Students have enjoyed the 77 clubs and societies we offer , from Stage Design to the Foundation Orchestra , and even started new ones such as the Lower School Engineering Society .
We have run 165 academic and co-curricular trips and tours , providing wonderful opportunities for students to broaden their horizons overseas , and more locally , day trips and our Duke of Edinburgh ’ s Award expeditions .
Our service and partnership programme continues to make a positive impact in the community with over 500 students volunteering weekly at local primary schools , care homes and hospices , among other organisations . Our students and teachers have given back 37,800 hours of service this year to help others and tackle societal issues such as climate change .
We hosted the Knight Frank Schools Triathlon for a second year , welcoming 800 local primary school children to compete and helping raise over £ 91,000 for the charity Restless Development .
We are also delighted to have opened New House , our new girls ’ boarding house which accommodates 60 new boarders in a state-of-the art modern boarding setting . Boarding is such an important element in the school ’ s daily life and ethos , helping us to support a diverse student community which currently reflects 76 different nationalities . Our boarding community has grown to 450 students from the UK and around the world , enabling us all to share in each other ’ s cultures and traditions .
I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store .
4 SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2023-2024