Central to education at Uppingham are the personal, social, health and well-being skills that are the foundations of a happy, healthy life.
Pupils are taught essential lessons for life through our innovative and ground-breaking Life Skills programme, which is incorporated into the curriculum. This programme has been developed specifically for us with guidance from positive psychology specialists. It helps children to understand health and well-being issues and to develop positive habits and behaviours that will last a lifetime. The programme is based on the habits and behaviours of the top 2% of successful people in the world. By studying these practices and ideas, we help our pupils to deal positively with the challenges and changes they will face throughout their lives.
In weekly well-being lessons, pupils explore their strengths, their values, how they relate to others, and how they can be the best versions of themselves. They learn how to look after themselves and others, emotionally and physically, as they navigate the complexities and uncertainties of teenage life. Through these lessons, we hope to develop in pupils the foundations for a life full of purpose, achievement and zest.
These lessons are supported by Personal, Social, Health and Relationships Education (PSHE) throughout the school. We take a variety of approaches, from teambuilding and away days to targeted one-to-one time, depending on the subject matter and the individual needs of pupils. To support our staff, we invite experts in their fields to speak to pupils in the most appropriate environment at key stages of their development. The boarding houses often provide safe places for discreet discussions about sensitive issues.
School nurses and peer mentors play a key role in our integrated, joined-up health education. Lower Sixth well-being advocates, trained by the Samaritans, are available to help pupils who may be struggling. Pupils are often more comfortable talking to other young people about their problems, and we trust our pupils to deal with issues sensitively and responsibly.
Throughout their time at school, our pupils have ample opportunity to try out new life skills and discover aptitudes they never knew they had. They could have a go at knitting, yoga, mindfulness or pizza cooking. Anything is possible with the life skills opportunities afforded at Uppingham, and no two pupils’ paths through school are ever the same.