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- A FOCUS ON WELLBEING
A FOCUS ON WELLBEING
Just as you do, we want your child to achieve their very best at Farlington, but – more importantly – we want every pupil in our care to be happy. For this reason, the school has a very strong pastoral vision and a whole-school ethos geared towards wellbeing, promoting a positive and holistic approach to good mental health.
In practice, this means that we encourage an engaged and enthusiastic approach to life, from awareness of healthy eating, exercise and relaxation, to strategies on how to cope with the pressures of examination season. Wellbeing is a key topic discussed at School Council, allowing students a voice to raise concerns and ideas, along with regular surveys and meetings throughout the year to gauge students’ confidence and mood.
In recent years the importance of increasing resilience levels in young people has been highlighted and Farlington is proud to say that we are at the forefront of this initiative. As part of this we include the Penn Resilience Programme throughout the school as part of our Life Skills programme. The Penn Resilience Programme is considered the gold standard of resilience training and aims to provide our students with the necessary skills to bounce back from the potential adversities that life may throw at them.
For those pupils who do need extra support, our Tutor system, overseen by Heads of School, ensures that a tailored and individual plan, supporting and meeting the needs of that student, can be set up quickly and efficiently.
At Farlington, you can be confident that throughout their time with us, your child will be supported and encouraged to surpass their own expectations; staff will take time to really get to know and understand your child and will work with them to achieve their very best.
FORM TUTORS AND HEADS OF LOWER, MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOLS
Your child's Class Teacher / Form Tutor is a very significant figure in their life, as they see them every day; pupils are encouraged to discuss any concerns they may have, from small everyday issues to more serious worries should they arise.
The Heads of Lower School, Middle School and Senior School work closely with Class Teachers and Form Tutors to ensure that each pupil is settled within their year and working to the best of their ability. They monitor progress, meet with parents, and attend to routine matters of discipline.
HEALTHY MINDS
This is a universal programme delivered in the school setting, designed to build young people’s resilience and promote realistic thinking and adaptive coping. Students are taught skills and coping strategies that are designed to contribute towards a number of resilience competencies, such as emotional intelligence, and flexible and accurate thinking. Participants also learn techniques for positive social behaviour, including assertiveness and negotiation.
LIFE SKILLS
Life Skills forms an integral part of the pastoral life of the school, encompassing the PSHE and RSE curriculums throughout the school, covering age-appropriate content and issues.
Life Skills is used to provide knowledge and understanding that can help pupils develop skills that they will be able to use throughout their lives. The programme is designed to be taught over several years, with appropriate topics for each year group under the three core themes:
- Relationships – including relationship values; forming and maintaining respectful relationships; understanding contraception and parenthood; bullying, abuse and discrimination.
- Health and Wellbeing – including identity; mental health and emotional wellbeing; health-related decisions; drugs, alcohol and tobacco; managing risk and personal safety; sexual health and fertility.
- Living in the Wider World – including learning skills; choices and pathways; work and career; employment rights and responsibilities; financial choices; media literacy and digital resilience.
The content is delivered by Class Teachers, Form Tutors, and internal and external speakers, and is regularly reviewed and adapted to meet the needs of each individual year group. The delivery of certain Life Skills topics is positioned during the school year to dovetail with the delivery of relevant topics in other subjects. All subjects will also encourage the development of core values in Life Skills such as honesty, integrity, organisation, and the ability to make informed choices.
All pupils have an allocated Life Skills lesson each week. Some topics are covered in assemblies, providing a platform to encourage self-awareness and confidence.
MEDICAL CENTRE
Farlington Medical Centre is staffed by two qualified nurses, who provide health care for all boarding pupils and first aid for day pupils. A nurse is on duty between 8.00am and 4.00pm Monday, Thursday and Friday, and between 8.00am and 5.00pm Tuesday and Wednesday. There is an emergency on-call service for the boarding pupils at all other times during the school term.
Any pupil feeling unwell should inform their supervising member of staff, who will arrange for them to attend the Medical Centre as necessary. The duty nurse will identify the necessary care/support and will, if necessary, contact the parents/guardians.
FOOD
Food is VERY important at Farlington! Our school caterers, Thomas Franks, certainly do us proud, dishing up a wide variety of tasty food every day for the whole school community. Our student Catering Committee is also on hand to make appropriate suggestions to our provision.
Please note that we are a nut-free school.
Break
- Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are given a healthy snack, which includes fruit and milk.
- All other students are welcome to bring in their own healthy snack of choice.
Lunch
Lunch is served in the Trina Mawer Hall, where pupils can choose from a hot or salad option. Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements are well catered for. Freshly made soup and bread are also served daily. There is a delicious choice of either fruit or dessert.
Thomas Franks, our on-site caterers ensure meals are nutritious and healthy. Mealtimes are staggered to avoid any queues.
