Bradford Grammar School has won a national award for a campaign to promote happiness and wellbeing among its students, staff and the local community.
Bradford Grammar School scooped the IDPE (the Institute of Development Professionals in Education) Engagement Campaign of the Year Award for its Happiness campaign, which tackled mental health issues in young people by providing resources and tools to promote wellbeing.
The campaign brought together more than 35 leading national charities including Time to Change, Rethink Mental Illness, Anxiety UK and No Panic and was praised for making an important contribution to the school’s wider community. At the heart of the campaign was a publicly available website which featured mental health stories told through the voices of parents, pupils, teachers and staff.
The IDPE judging panel said: “It was a remarkable programme that successfully captured interest on an important topic from new audiences. While it raised the profile of the school, this engagement campaign also provided a platform for continued positive engagement within the school’s wider community.”
Simon Hinchliffe, BGS Headmaster, said: “We’re acutely aware that members of the public, young people, parents and teachers, all have important stories to tell about happiness and wellbeing in school, and in their everyday lives. We wanted to play our part by sharing our voices, through this public resource, to benefit everyone and to help raise awareness within our local community, Yorkshire and nationwide.
“We were delighted to receive this award in recognition of our work to foster wellbeing at BGS. Lots of colleagues, students and BGS families supported this activity which has made a lasting positive difference to our school community. A special thank you goes to colleague Emma Wragg who led on the campaign and produced the supporting materials and media.”
Lindsey Davis, BGS’s Development Director, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled and honoured that such a meaningful campaign has received such recognition – not least, because this award was voted for by peers from across the UK’s school development community.
“Happiness reflects the strong commitment of everyone in school to the wellbeing of our students and the local community. In an age of growing fears about the pressures put on young people to succeed, this award helps to highlight and lead the way in combatting the stigma that still surrounds mental health.”
The IDPE Development Awards recognise innovation and creativity in the schools’ development sector.
Found out more about Happiness at https://happiness.bradfordgrammar.com
“It was a remarkable programme that successfully captured interest on an important topic from new audiences.
While it raised the profile of the school, this engagement campaign also provided a platform for continued positive engagement within the school’s wider community.”
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