Farlingaye High School, located in Woodbridge, Suffolk, is a large, welcoming community with nearly 2,000 students. The school has always prioritised kindness, respect, and supporting every student’s personal growth. However, as students approached the transition from Year 9 to their GCSE years, the school wanted to provide them with extra emotional and mental support to ensure they felt prepared and confident.
That’s where Humanutopia came in.
The Challenge
Like many schools, Farlingaye noticed that students in Year 9 often feel pressure as they prepare for their GCSEs. The school’s leadership recognised the need to provide these students with practical tools to manage stress, understand the importance of kindness, and develop emotional resilience. With students from various backgrounds and needs, including some with additional educational challenges, it was important to create an inclusive approach that worked for everyone.
Our Approach
Humanutopia designed a series of interactive workshops to engage students on a deeper level. We focused on helping them understand themselves, set meaningful goals, and develop empathy towards others. Here’s how we made it happen:
- Kindness in Action: We emphasised the importance of kindness in everyday life, from in-person interactions to online communication. By showing the impact their actions can have on others, we encouraged students to think about how they treat one another—especially in a digital world.
- Goal Setting and Ambition: Our workshops got students thinking about their personal goals, their future, and what they could achieve both academically and beyond school. This helped to reduce the stress and anxiety around GCSE preparation.
- Peer-to-Peer Mentoring: A select group of students were trained to become peer mentors, offering support to younger students and creating a more inclusive, supportive school environment.
The Results
The workshops had a significant and positive impact on the students and the wider school community:
- Increased Kindness and Awareness: Students became more aware of the impact of their words and actions, particularly online. One Year 10 student shared how the workshops made him more thoughtful about what he posted on social media.
- Reduced Stress and Increased Confidence: The workshops helped to lower anxiety levels and gave students a sense of control over their own mental wellbeing, helping them approach their GCSE years with greater confidence.
- Lasting Peer Mentoring: The peer mentors trained through the programme have continued to support younger students, reinforcing the school’s culture of kindness and inclusion.
Thanks to the partnership between Farlingaye High School and Humanutopia, students have gained practical skills to manage their emotions, set goals, and support one another. The workshops have left a lasting impact, helping to create a more positive, inclusive school community where kindness and emotional wellbeing are prioritised.
As one Deputy Headteacher put it: “Helping others find happiness is what creates your own happiness.”
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