Well-Being & Anti-Bullying

At Garforth Academy we believe that good health and wellbeing is essential for successful learning and happy lives for children and young people.

We want Garforth Academy to be a caring environment that enables learners to develop confidence and positive relationships based on mutual respect and to gain knowledge to make healthy lifestyle choices. Learning through health and wellbeing promotes confidence, independent thinking and positive attitudes and dispositions.

Mental health and wellbeing are embedded throughout our curriculum. They are featured within our Ethics Philosophy and Citizenship programme as well as in our form time and assembly schedule.

Our Values:

At Garforth Academy, we recognise that student well-being is central to success, both in and beyond the classroom. We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment where every young person feels safe, valued, and able to thrive.

We promote well-being across school life by:

• Fostering a positive and respectful culture, where kindness, inclusion, and empathy are at the heart of everything we do.

• Providing strong pastoral and mental health support, including access to trained staff, counsellors, and external agencies when needed.

• Teaching students to understand and manage their well-being, with lessons and workshops on resilience, stress management, online safety, and healthy relationships.

• Encouraging active, healthy lifestyles through a wide range of sports, clubs, and enrichment opportunities, alongside access to nutritious food choices.

• Building meaningful connections between students and staff, ensuring that every student knows there is someone they can talk to.

• Empowering student voice through our school council, giving students the opportunity to influence change and support their peers.

• Working in partnership with parents and carers to promote consistent support for students’ emotional and physical well-being.

Our aim is to help students develop the confidence, resilience, and life skills they need to take care of themselves and others — now and in the future.

What we do:

We offer a wide range of wellbeing lessons and activities that are designed to create a culture of positivity in recognising the importance of mental health and to help students access support if they need it.

Wellbeing Wednesday

Every Wednesday we have a weekly form time activity dedicated to student wellbeing. We expose our students to a wide range of topics that are aimed at encouraging open discussion and awareness of sensitive issues.

Typical examples are

Culture Days

On designated days of the year, we celebrate the cultural backgrounds and customs from different countries. Countries are chosen to be inclusive to our students’ cultural backgrounds and to encourage diversity. Students learn about a different festival from the chosen country and understand how diverse cultures celebrate theses festivals with food, dance, costumes and traditions.

Our students also make a difference helping others.  This has a huge benefit, to mental health and wellbeing, as it can reduce stress, improve low self-esteem, and create a more positive attitude to life.

As part of this process, we have identified key staff members who students, staff and parents can contact if they are concerned about their own or someone else’s mental health.

World Mental Health Day

We celebrate this day each year and use it as an opportunity to recognise the importance of our mental health. This year our day featured starter activities across all year groups, delivered by subject teachers. During the day, our students explored the value of Acts of Kindness, Coping with Anxiety, Resilience and Calming Techniques.