ACS International School Cobham has been awarded the national Wellbeing Award for Schools by Optimus Education for its innovative approach to student and staff wellbeing.
The accreditation, which is valid for three years, is awarded to educational institutions which create a culture of positive wellbeing across the entire learning community.
ACS Cobham went through a rigorous process of self-evaluation, action planning, portfolio building and verification to show it had met the necessary standards for the award, taking more than 12 months to achieve the accreditation.
In the last year, the school has implemented a number of dedicated wellbeing initiatives for staff and students as part of the award. These include introducing a ‘Student Welfare’ team, with several full-time counsellors that work closely with parents and teachers to address the needs of the children. Additionally, ACS Cobham utilised its Personal, Social and Health Education (PHSE) lessons to develop students’ resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team-working and critical thinking skills to improve health and wellbeing.
In the summer, the school also amended its mobile phone policy to tackle the rise of student phone addition in schools across the UK. The change saw the introduction of magnetic Yondr pouches, which students would leave their phones in at the start of the day, to limit student phone use and improve mental health.
Robert Crowther, ACS Cobham’s Head of School, said: “We’re honoured to have been awarded with Optimus Education’s national Wellbeing Award for schools. We have worked tirelessly as a school community to ensure that wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do, all year round. By providing our students with an environment where they feel valued and respected, they’re able to flourish and reach their full potential, both as learners and as people.
“Our work on inclusivity and wellbeing is being developed each and every day, and will continue to evolve throughout 2025 as it has done this year. As a school, we will continue to build on this award and look forward to developing our practice in the future weeks, months and years for the benefit of everyone at ACS Cobham.”
