Supporting Wellbeing and Belonging at RGS Worcester
This week, RGS Worcester marked Children’s Mental Health Week (9–15 February) by reflecting on this year’s theme, ‘This is My Place’ and the importance of ensuring that every child feels valued, safe, supported and able to thrive at school.
The national awareness week highlights the role that a sense of belonging and security plays in supporting positive mental health. At RGS Worcester, pastoral care sits at the heart of school life, with strong relationships between pupils, teachers, tutors and year teams complemented by a dedicated counselling service offering additional specialist support when it is needed.
The School’s Counselling provision provides pupils with a calm, confidential space to explore their thoughts and feelings with experienced professionals who are outside their day-to-day school routines. This support is available to pupils who may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed or low in mood, as well as those facing more complex challenges such as bereavement, trauma or emotional distress.
Working with care, compassion and experience, the Counselling team supports pupils through a wide range of emotional and mental health needs, using neuro-inclusive and pupil-centred approaches to ensure that every young person feels listened to, understood and reassured that they are not alone. For many pupils, this support helps build confidence, resilience and practical strategies for managing challenges both in and beyond school.
The Counselling service provides support, complemented by the Nurses in the Medical Centre, our Relaxation Coach and Therapy dog as well as senior Pastoral staff and the Year group and Section Pastoral teams. Parents and pupils are reassured to know that there is this additional layer of expert support within the School, focused on wellbeing, early intervention and long-term emotional development.
Children’s Mental Health Week is an important reminder that wellbeing is nurtured every day, and that helping pupils feel ‘this is my place’ is fundamental to their happiness, confidence and success.
