SCHOOL NEWS// THE WHOLE SCHOOL MATTERS
PIONEERING MENTAL
HEALTH AWARD
Pocklington School has become the first
Boarding School in the country to be
awarded the Boarding School Mental
Health Award for its outstanding
mental health and wellbeing provision.
The School met the strict criteria
demanded to achieve the Award,
established in 2017 by the Carnegie
Centre of Excellence for Mental Health
in Schools - part of Leeds Beckett
University - and social enterprise Minds
Ahead. The Awards aims to strengthen
pupils’ mental health by supporting
schools to make a positive change,
improving students’ outcomes and life
chances.
Mark Ronan, Headmaster, said: “We
are proud and delighted to be the first UK
boarding school to receive the Boarding School
Mental Health Award. It is a reflection of the
individual focus, together with an emphasis
on pastoral care, which we prioritise in every
aspect of school life.”
He added: “Working towards the award
sharpened our focus and helped us reflect
critically on what we do well and how we can
further improve our mental health support.”
Assessors gave the School Silver level in
the award. They found staff excelled in
working with parents and carers to keep
channels of communication open and
support the mental wellbeing of both
pupils and the parents themselves. They
also noted the School’s strong links with
external mental health services, as well as
the support programmes available to staff.
They praised our wide range of
activities to boost the wellbeing of pupils
and staff, including a wellbeing service
which includes pupils, staff and families.
Our holistic approach includes help
for both parents and pupils to ease the
transition into boarding life and being
away from home.
Other strengths cited in the Award
include our strong track record of
supporting and showcasing our work
to other schools, the excellent transition
service to help both pupils and parents
settle quickly into the community, and
the School’s engagement of an adult
who speaks several Chinese languages
to speak regularly to overseas boarders
and help overcome any cultural
difficulties which might prevent them
from seeking support.
Professor Damien Page, Dean of
Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of
EGGLESTON FAMILY CELEBRATE
LONG ASSOCIATION WITH
POCKLINGTON SCHOOL
Mr Mark Eggleston and members of his family visited Pocklington
School recently, to unveil a new Trophy Cabinet which they
had kindly donated in celebration of the long association the
Eggleston family have had with Pocklington School.
Mark’s father Michael joined the School in 1940 and the last
of six cousins left in 2017. During that time, the Egglestons
have been wonderful supporters of Dolman House. The
new Trophy Cabinet, which sits in the main school corridor,
features a plaque celebrating the family’s involvement with
Dolman House and displays a range of silverware competed
for across the School in events such as House Drama, House
Music and sports competitions.
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THE POCKLINGTONIAN
Education, said: “Achieving this Award
is not just recognition of a whole-school
approach to mental health, it’s a recognition
of the School’s commitment to improving the
life chances of children.”
“We’re truly proud to have worked with
Pocklington School in this vital work and
look forward to further collaboration.”
Mr Ronan said: “All of our staff are fully
committed to supporting the wellbeing of our
pupils and Clare Swann, our Head of Pupil
Welfare, does an excellent job of keeping our
community up-to-date on the help that is
available.
“The clear developmental framework
offered by the Mental Health Awards for
Schools will help us continue to strengthen
the emotional health and wellbeing support
offered throughout the School, to the benefit
of everyone.”
Mr Eggleston said: “We are delighted to have provided the new
Trophy Cabinet for the School, and that our family name will now be
permanently recognised in a place that current and future generations of
Dolman House students will see every day.”