At Herne Hill School, we have historically regarded fostering the children’s wellbeing as a fundamental aspect of successful Early Childhood Education (ECE).
The essence of our beliefs and approach have been captured in the 2026 Absolutely Education article “Why wellbeing in the early years matters more than ever“, written in collaboration with our Headteacher Ngaire Telford and Head of Key Stage 1, Hannah Stratton.
In a nutshell, we view the children’s wellbeing as the golden thread that holds together their learning and developmental journey, allowing us as educators to guide them into becoming confident, independent, resilient, curious and well-balanced individuals who are ready seize the opportunities and overcome the challenges they will inevitably encounter.
Wellbeing, which the World Health Organisation describes as “a positive state encompassing quality of life, sense of meaning and purpose”, impacts how we feel day-to-day, how we cope and how we connect with others. It is therefore closely linked to our mental health as poor wellbeing will often, without the right support, lead to mental health problems.
Moreover, we are all too aware that the most significant period of brain development occurs between birth and eight and that the foundations for all the ‘soft’ skills (personal, social, emotional and self-regulatory) that later allow us to cope and thrive in demanding environments and situations are built in this time (see our insight article on EQ Reflections).
Herne Hill School’s Mindset Song
Among a multitude of other engagement tools and initiatives, our Mindset Song provides just one example of how we support the children’s emotional development and mental health.
It was written and introduced in 2019 to enable the teachers to engage in a dialogue with the children in Key Stage 1 on how they can positively ‘set their minds’, initially in the classroom and later more collectively in assemblies such as during our annual Healthy Living Week, through thoughtful discussions to explore the meaning of each verse in the lyrics.
The Year 2 children also perform the Mindset Song at their graduation ceremony, along with the equally values-imbibed Herne Hill School Song and other favourites. Alumni parents frequently tell us that the song still reverberates in their homes years after the children have moved on to their next schools.
We are always amazed at how well the children grasp each concept despite their young age and at their ability to apply them in daily life. Perhaps due to the catchy and happy nature of the tune, they love performing it. Watch for their usual enthusiasm and energy in the video below, filmed in March 2026.
Our Wellbeing Award
Driven by our conviction that wellbeing is not an optional addition to curriculum and programmes of study but a core component of all we do on a daily basis, as well as by our desire to continuously evolve our ECE provision, we decided in 2023 to sign up for a rigourous two-year quest to achieve the coveted ‘Wellbeing Award for Schools’.
Championed by Mrs Stratton, this nationally recognised framework developed by Award Place at Optimus Education supported us in engaging with every part of the school community to further embed wellbeing into Herne Hill School’s ethos, culture and modus operandi.
Following feedback from staff, parents and pupils on current practice and development opportunities, a dedicated Staff Change Team considered enhancements to every aspect of life at Herne Hill School to in the promotion of wellbeing.
Two years later, we welcomed an assigned external verifier to evaluate the comprehensive portfolio of evidence, conduct interviews with various stakeholders and lead discussions with pupils and staff. Following further scrutiny by the awarding body, Herne Hill School obtained the Wellbeing Award for Schools in May 2025, acknowledging our innovative, holistic, consistent and community‑driven approach to wellbeing.
Noticeable and valued impact
As school-internal provision adaptations are not always readily visible to parents, we have been pleased by the positive feedback obtained from our parent body. Comments, such as the ones below received from a parent survey on wellbeing carried out in the summer term 2025, confirm that our parents share our conviction of the importance of wellbeing and notice the efforts made in everyday school life.
A timely boost
With hindsight, focusing on the Wellbeing Award process has proven to be most timely in the light of the growing mental health crisis affecting our children and youth, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indeed, recent data from The Big Mental Health Report 2025 indicate a sharp recent decline in the mental health of British children and young people aged 8 – 25, such as:-
- roughly 1 in 5 are now (as of 2023) reportedly living with a probable mental disorder, compared to 1 in 9 in 2017; or
- monthly referrals to children and young people’s mental health services almost tripled from 40,000 in 2016 to 120,000 in 2024.
As The Big Mental Health Report 2025 and The Good Childhood Report 2025 by the Children’s Society point out, there are many complex and interlinked reasons driving this decline. They include feeling and experiencing the financial insecurity encountered by many families, pressure from school, excessive smart phone and social media usage, unhappiness with appearance and disruptions to a hitherto stable environment – all set against what some describe as a weakening sense of community and belonging.
Fortunately, not all children and young people are affected, with some being at greater risk than others. For example, those from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special educational needs (SEND) are much more prone to having mental health disorders, and girls aged 10-15 are significantly less happy than boys of the same age with their life as a whole, family, appearance and school .
Nevertheless, every single child encountering such difficulties is one too many as the human (and financial) cost can be horrendous in terms of reduced educational attainment (dropping out of A-levels or university), less stable personal relationships, limited career progression and earnings, and eroding financial independence.
All experts seem to agree that early identification of adverse wellbeing and mental health and rapid, judicious intervention when first signs appear is crucial, and that prevention is even more effective. We therefore feel a great sense of responsibility to do all we can to promote our pupils’ wellbeing and to help prevent, as much as possible, mental health issues from arising in the first place.
