The Wellbeing Hub
20 September 2023 - All
Long gone are the boarding schools imagined in Dickens’ novels or attended by Tom Brown. One area of school life which has changed more than most in recent years has been the connectivity between schools and parents. Our children are best served by this partnership and it is best characterised by trust and communication. These two things are more than just the main messages that our Headmistress gives to new parents, they are our ardent belief. Here at School, we have long valued the opportunity to work with parents not only on any individual matter, but also in a more holistic manner, and as we start the academic year, we are excited about some of our new initiatives.
Our children are growing up in a more complex world than that of my childhood. Navigating this path can provide challenges to them, but also to the adults who provide their care. That is why we are delighted to have invested in The Wellbeing Hub. The Wellbeing Hub is the brainchild of Alicia Drummond, an adolescent therapist, author, expert on young people’s wellbeing and mental health and a mum! This online portal of resources includes podcasts, webinars, and written guidance, all brought to you by different experts. Parents, pupils, and staff can all enjoy free access to this portal, and we would encourage everyone to spend time exploring this new source of information and guidance. We will bring you regular reminders about new content and we hope that the information this site provides can be another area where parents turn to understand the issues facing young people today. If you have not registered for access to The Wellbeing Hub yet, you can do so below.
Our investment in The Wellbeing Hub goes hand in hand with our existing Parenting the Teenager series and reflects our desire to continue working closely with parents to discuss the important issues that face young people today. Our Parenting the Teenager series gives our families the opportunity to hear from external speakers and members of the school community about a whole range of issues over the course of the year. These talks take place online and during the early evening to make them family-friendly. Wherever possible, recordings of these talks are also available on My School Portal. In October, we are looking forward to hearing from Aric Sigman about the very topical issue of the rise of vaping within society, and later in the term, we hear from Emma Gleadhill who will talk to us about the importance of boundaries for young people and how these can be established in an effective and positive manner. As a parent myself, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to learn more and understand the issues that shape the lives of my children and I hope that you will join us at our forthcoming Parenting the Teenager talks.
Wycombe Abbey’s Flourishing@Wycombe programme is a third way in which we partner with parents in learning more about the journey that young people are taking through their adolescence. Each term, the School focusses on a key theme and considers how this can help us lead a flourishing life. This term our theme is nature. Our termly guidebook has been published and is being shared with all members of our community, including our parent body.
Although Wycombe Abbey is situated in a town and only a short journey from central London, anyone who has visited our School will have been struck by how connected to nature we are. With meadows, woods and lakes surrounding our classrooms and Boarding Houses, the School grounds provide a wonderful environment in which to live and grow. This term pupils will be able to reflect upon the benefits they can gain from developing their relationship with nature and I would encourage you to take a moment to read through our guidebook and think about how you, as a family, can share this journey with your daughters.
Mr James Jones
Deputy Head (Pupils)
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