Carlton le Willows has once again been recognised for its commitment towards personal development – after becoming one of the first schools in the area to achieve the prestigious Healthy Minds School status.

The Academy has been re-accredited with the Healthy Minds kitemark, which is awarded to schools who have successfully implemented and maintained good quality teaching and learning to help develop healthy minds. At Carlton le Willows this is achieved through the Ethics, Philosophy and Citizenship (EPC) curriculum, which dedicates time to the delivery of resilience skills.

Michael Tomlinson, Head of EPC says: ‘At Carlton le Willows we place education of the whole child at the heart of the curriculum. We believe that teaching resilience to our students helps them recognise their own strengths and vulnerabilities and learn habits that help them get the most out of any given task as they progress through school.

“We know from research that resilience skills enable young people to improve life satisfaction, general, physical and emotional health. It also helps with better education, attainment and can prevent mental illness.”

Through EPC lessons students revisit skills learned in Year 7, developing in-depth knowledge about resilience and how to apply the skills to various aspects of their emotional and social lives.

In recognising the accolade, Lord Richards Layard of the London School of Economics said Carlton le Willows “continues to deliver a sustained approach that is proven to improve the lives of young people in and beyond school. Thank you for leading the way and showcasing to other schools what can be achieved. You were one of the first schools to achieve the Healthy Minds award and I am delighted to know that you continue to demonstrate an ongoing commitment.”