Home | Senior | Wellbeing

Wellbeing

It matters to us that our pupils are happy at school. If you feel safe, known, cared for, and properly understood, everything else comes naturally. No-one can do their best if they are unhappy, and doing your best is all we ask. Abbot’s Hill is a lot of great things, but most important of them is this; our is a happy school.

Happiness comes from a really simple place – it’s ok to be you. This is one of school values ‘Be Authentic’. We want to bring along everything that makes you ‘you’ to help make our school a more diverse and interesting place. Our community is always there for each other. However amazing or difficult life might be sometimes, what matters is that we’re doing it together.

There will always be someone to turn to at Abbot’s Hill. Our outstanding pastoral support is led by our Deputy Head, Pastoral, Heads of Year, Form Tutors and pupil mentors, and there is a collective responsibility to maintaining a nurturing and caring environment for all.

Clan System

You’ve probably heard of ‘Houses’ in a school, you may even belong to one now, but it means something very different to be part of a ‘Clan’. At Abbot’s Hill, every pupil belongs to one of three Clans – Cameron, MacDonald, and Macneil – teams that include young people from the very youngest to the very oldest, all working together.

Clan events happen throughout every term. It might be a competition, an important meeting, some work we want to do together, or just the chance to play. What’s most important about our Clans, however, is what they teach us. In your Clan you will be surrounded by kindness. You will be inspired by older pupils as Clan leaders, and maybe be a leader yourself one day. From all of this, you will learn to believe in yourself; that you can be an important part of a team. If you ask an Abbot’s Hill pupil (or teacher!) what Clan they’re in, you’re asking a very big question…

Our Clans are part of our history; they come originally from the Scottish roots of our founders, the Baird Sisters. These Clans have existed, excited, inspired, and empowered young people for over a century, and they will continue to do so long into a future where kindness matters more than ever.

Transition

A dedicated team is in place to support Year 7 pupils with a smooth transition to Senior School. Each Year 7 class has a Year 11 mentor to help guide them. Mentors will help the new girls find their way around, ensure girls are happy, make friends, and give guidance.

Head of Year

There is a dedicated Head of Year for each cohort. As a result, each pupil becomes well known to the staff; any concerns are quickly dealt with, the appropriate level of challenge and support given to each pupil and parents are kept up to date with their child’s progress.

Personal Development Education (PDE)

PDE (Personal Development Education) and Tutor Time activities help prepare our pupils for transition throughout School and beyond. The programme is divided into six key topics: Being Me in My World, Celebrating Differences, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me, allowing age-appropriate content to be delivered and discussed in a safe environment.

A full Parent Education Programme is developed annually to ensure that parents have up-to-date knowledge of issues that children are facing and the resources to support their child at home and school. Talks are held face to face and over Zoom to allow easy access for our whole parent community. Parent Education events range from Phonics Workshops to Ensuring you have a Safe and Robust Home Internet.

School Counsellor

Pupils in the Senior School have access to the School Counsellor. Pupils are able to access the service and do not need to be referred by staff or a parent. Conversations remain confidential unless there is a safeguarding issue raised.

Nutrition

Nutrition is key to well-being and performance. Our in-house Catering Team provides a wide range of notoriously nutritious home-cooked food. An optional Breakfast Club is available for a healthy start to the day, and all pupils receive a choice of mid-morning snacks and a varied lunch menu.

The food is incredible, in fact, it is so good that in 2022, we were a finalist for the best Independent School of the Year for Healthy Eating.

Take a look at an example menu below or visit at an Open Day to trial our fantastic offering!

Medical Advice

Our Surgery, staffed by fully qualified school nurses, provides medical care to Prep and Senior pupils who may be unwell during the school day and provides first aid for minor injuries.

Tooled Up

Abbot’s Hill is proud to work with Tooled Up. It is an online platform shared with everyone connected to Abbot’s Hill. It uses extensive academic research to help give parents the practical tools they need to help their children flourish. Tooled Up are leaders in evidence-based approaches to parenting; you get the very best information and can have confidence in the tips you apply at home. Parents benefit from the library of articles, videos, tips to try, worksheets and podcasts. All children have significant challenges to overcome as they strive to reach their full potential. Our combined goal is to empower families, so the parenting journey becomes easier and more rewarding.