A Derby school has demonstrated that mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of everything it does after achieving the highest level of a prestigious national award.
The Bemrose School, on Uttoxeter Road, has been awarded the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools’ School Mental Health Award – Gold Status, with assessors finding the school to be ‘Excelling’ across all eight competencies.
The award recognises schools that demonstrate a whole-school commitment to promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, staff and the wider school community.
The accreditation report praised the school’s “highly inclusive and reflective setting” and said mental health and wellbeing remains “firmly embedded within strategic planning, daily practice and the wider culture of the school community.”
The school has strengthened its leadership capacity with designated mental health leads and deputy mental health leads across both its primary and secondary phases, alongside continued oversight from senior leaders and governors.
The school also has a team of mental health ambassadors – pupils who volunteer their time to support their peers. The team has continued to develop and now includes pupils from all phases of the school.
Year seven student Taha Kamran said: “I feel really proud to be a mental health ambassador and to have played a part in achieving this award. I feel the school really deserves it.
“There are lots of opportunities to help other people and make sure they feel safe here, and I really like being able to do that.
“We provide information and support if somebody has any worries or concerns and make sure everyone knows there is always somebody here to talk to, no matter what the problem is.
“Bemrose feels like a really safe and supportive place with staff always encouraging us and letting us know that we have a good future ahead of us.”
The report praised the school’s wider culture of staff support, including access to independent counselling, wellbeing conversations with qualified clinicians and initiatives such as ‘Triple C’, coffee stops, staff breakfasts and wellbeing awareness activities.
Karen Lamb, mental health and wellbeing lead at the school, said: “We are unique in having a dedicated member of staff whose sole responsibility is the wellbeing of our pupils, and this has proved to be a real success for our school. Alongside me, we also have Ingar Sugden, our Deputy Mental Health Lead, who plays a vital role in supporting and developing our approach to mental health and wellbeing.”
“The award has helped us to develop that provision further and to make sure that mental health and wellbeing is considered in everything we do.
“Many of our pupils have moved here from overseas and need additional care and support because of their life experiences.
“At Bemrose, we understand that every pupil is different and has different needs. We take a holistic approach and adapt our care and support around each individual pupil.
“As a result, we have discovered that our students actually want to be in school and find comfort here. That is incredibly important to us.
“This is about making sure our pupils feel safe, supported and valued, and that our staff have the support they need too.
“Achieving Gold again is a fantastic recognition of the work that so many people across the school put into making mental health and wellbeing a priority every day.”
Staff wellbeing has also become increasingly embedded within school processes, with half-termly wellbeing surveys, flexible working approaches, clinical supervision and initiatives including low-email days and a Menopause Task Group introduced in response to staff feedback.
The school has also developed a wide network of external partnerships, including CAMHS, Compass Changing Lives, Derby University, the Derby and Derbyshire Violence Reduction Unit, Aquarius, DANCOP Boys Impact Hub, Think for the Future and Al-Hurraya Mentoring.
These partnerships provide additional expertise and support for pupils and families while strengthening the school’s ability to respond to a wide range of mental health and wellbeing needs.
The school’s work extends beyond its own community, with staff sharing their expertise with other schools and organisations locally, nationally and internationally.
This has included supporting neighbouring schools with self-harm guidance and Mental Health Ambassador programmes, contributing to Derby City Public Health steering groups, collaborating with Derby University, supporting NHS research through pupil participation and sharing inclusive practice internationally.
Headteacher Neil Wilkinson said: “We are incredibly proud to have achieved Gold Status once again. It reflects the commitment of our whole school community to making mental health and wellbeing a priority.
“At Bemrose, wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. We want every pupil to feel safe, valued and supported, while also ensuring our staff are well supported.
“This award reflects the culture we have built together, and we will continue to develop our approach so that everyone in our school community has the opportunity to thrive.”
This press release was distributed by Penguin PR. To find out more contact Sarah-Louise Elton on 01332 416228 or by email at [email protected]
