Safe, confident students who can flourish
Wellbeing in our schools
Students in Globeducate schools need a safe and healthy learning environment in which they can flourish. This is one of the key three goals that will help us achieve our mission to prepare each student to become a global citizen who can shape the world.
Katherine Tyler is Globeducate Safeguarding and Welfare Officer and her role encompasses both keeping students safe and also working with Designated Safeguarding Leads and Pastoral leaders in our schools to promote students´ physical, social and emotional development, while protecting them from harm. You can read our safeguarding policies here.
Rhiannon Phillips-Bianco, Head of Wellbeing for Globeducate, leads our Wellbeing Webinars and supports school teams to deliver wellbeing activities and training.
In 2021 Rhiannon created and led a 'Healthy Minds' programme at 'The British School in the Netherlands' which was a finalist in the Wellbeing category of the ISC Awards in January 2021. Rhiannon is also a teacher and Leader of Wellbeing at RIS Rome.
Helping students to flourish
Students in Globeducate schools have a safe and health learning environment in which they can flourish. Each term has a Wellbeing themed focus and a range of activities are offered to all school Wellbeing Lead Teachers. Some features of our Globeducate Wellbeing Programme include:
Body Confidence Programme
Students in our Globeducate British International Schools and ICS schools in Europe piloted a Wellbeing Body Confidence programme aimed at Years 8 and 9, ages 12 to 14.
The programme buildt on successful wellbeing initiatives that have been led by individual Globeducate schools by involving many schools in the same project. Going forward, the findings of this project will enable teachers to share challenges, best practice and make meaningful connections. Schools will be supported by the Globeducate Wellbeing Committee which will focus on planning similar collaborations in the future.
The programme is designed to raise awareness of self-confidence, self-esteem and good health and wellbeing, as well as learning about healthy ways to cope with challenges.
We recognised the excellent work going on in our schools across the world and saw how teachers see a need to prioritise this topic and so we have worked together to produce a programme to help everyone in the group deliver best practice in this crucial area.
Our motivations are simple – to help our young people understand what can affect wellbeing and resilience, to give them a voice to share their experiences and to be positive role models for their peers, and to equip them with healthy coping strategies. We are very excited about this programme and what it has the potential to achieve.Katherine Tyler, Globeducate Safeguarding and Welfare Officer
Research into an increase in global eating disorders was one of the areas our Wellbeing Committee has been concerned about, with a global jump from 3.4% to 7.7% between 2000 and 2018 (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019). Eating disorder hospitalisations have increased by 84% in the last five years, with cases of young men doubling since 2015.
As part of this project Year 8 and 9 students in GBIS and ICS schools in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the UK learnt about:
- the links between mental and physical health
- the impact that media and social media can have on how people think about themselves
- strategies to understand and build resilience
- how to respond to disappointments and setbacks
- a range of healthy coping strategies
- the causes and triggers for unhealthy coping strategies such as self-harm and eating disorders
Wellbeing Webinars
Ensuring that our teachers feel equipped and knowledgeable about wellbeing is a crucial part of ensuring students learn well on this topic. Our wellbeing webinars for teachers give the opportunity for inspiring talks and opportunities for professional learning. You can read here about Wellbeing Webinars.
To read more about benefits of working in Globeducate click here.
Over the last four years, I have witnessed the significant impact that a focus on wellbeing can have on the whole school community. By bringing it into the everyday - through the language we use, the strategies we teach and the approach that we take - we enable our students to thrive, emotionally and academically. I am in no doubt that this should be at the heart of our practice, and not just an add-on, in order to be truly effective.
Rhiannon Phillips-Bianco
Keeping safe online
Each year, Globeducate schools raise awareness of how to stay safe online by joining educators globally on Safer Internet Day, 7th February. The theme for 2023 and 2024 was “Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations online".
Around this event, before and after, students in all Globeducate schools consider this topic and general ways to keep safe online, encouraging healthy conversations and mutual support among peer groups.