Dubai, UAE; July 2024:
The Aquila School, part of International Schools Partnership (ISP), has been honoured with a Wellbeing Badge from The National College in recognition of their unwavering commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their staff and pupils. The accolade comes after the school successfully completed a comprehensive mental health and wellbeing training programme hosted by The National College, a leading professional development platform for international schools around the world, providing educators with high-quality courses and expert-led webinars on student wellbeing.
The Aquila School’s National Mental Health & Wellbeing Accreditation acknowledges the school’s success in engaging its community to build a culture where mental health and wellbeing is prioritised alongside academics.
Wayne Howsen, Principal at The Aquila School, said: “The mental health and wellbeing of all our pupils and community is of paramount significance to us. With studies showcasing the corelation between students’ well-being and their academic performance, we are cognizant of the role a supportive and positive environment can have on young minds. The National Mental Health & Wellbeing Accreditation issued by The National College is testimony to The Aquila School’s deep-rooted adherence to ensuring the wellbeing of our students come first.”
As an ISP school, our students have learning experiences inside and outside the classroom that are designed to develop their academic knowledge and the life-skills required to thrive now and throughout their lifetime. Understanding how to nurture their wellbeing is an important skill that every student should have.”
Joe Stoney, Co-founder of The National College, said: “Congratulations to everyone at The Aquila School on achieving their National Mental Health & Wellbeing Accreditation. By completing our training programme, the school has shown its strong commitment to developing an environment where both children and staff feel supported, valued, and can thrive.”
The Aquila School’s commitment to wellbeing was also a highlight in the recent KHDA inspection report.
“We are proud that the 2023-2024 KHDA inspection report rated our wellbeing provision as being of a very high standard. They recognised that ‘the integration of wellbeing into the school’s ethos has had a positive impact for all.’
In our endeavour to be a Happy Community School, I was also proud to see that they also highlighted our learning environment by saying, ‘The positive classroom climate, fostered by dedicated teachers, contributes significantly to a positive school environment’ and that our students feel connected and valued, enhancing their sense of belonging and overall wellbeing,” shared Mr Howsen.
The Aquila School, one of over 80 schools globally that are part of ISP, is a progressive international British school located in Dubailand. The school nurtures a spirit of enquiry, innovative thinking, decision-making and problem solving among students with the end aim of developing resilient learners with an independent, creative mind. The Aquila School, rated ‘Outstanding’ by the British Schools Overseas (BSO) and Good by KHDA, is open to pupils from FS1 to Year 12 for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. The school received the Excellence in Education award 2023 for the Best Secondary Team.