DLD College London has achieved the Boarding School Mental Health Award which is delivered by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools. The Central London day and boarding school was awarded a Gold standard for its outstanding mental health and wellbeing provision, the first school to do so in the UK.

The leading independent school provides a wide range of activities to boost the wellbeing of pupils and staff, including a dedicated Wellbeing centre in the heart of the school, the Head of Wellbeing, a peer mentoring programme, a team of counsellors and the school’s very own Life coach.

The school has also been at the forefront of developments in training staff and students in Mental Health First Aid and Coaching. More recently DLD College London has worked with the Children’s Sleep Charity to train staff to support the student body, the first school in the UK to have developed such an initiative.

DLD College London Principal Irfan Latif said: “I am extremely proud of the students and staff. This establishes and reaffirms DLD College London as a leader in the independent education sector in mental health and wellbeing. We are delighted for the whole community and will continue to strive for excellence both at school and beyond.’.

A focal point of the school’s mental health and wellbeing provision is the work of the wellbeing team within the school, ensuring that each student has proactive measures in place to safeguard them and improve their overall sense of wellbeing.

Irfan Latif said: “The effect of the pastoral systems that we have adopted in the school has allowed a more proactive approach to the wellbeing of pupils and staff.”

The award was established in 2017 by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools – part of Leeds Beckett University – and social enterprise Minds Ahead.

The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools aims to strengthen pupils’ mental health by supporting schools to make a positive change at all levels of the UK’s education system, improving students’ outcomes and life chances.

Professor Damien Page, Dean of Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Education, said: “Achieving this award is not just recognition of a whole-school approach to mental health, it’s a recognition of the school’s commitment to improving the life chances of children.

“We’re truly proud to have worked with DLD College London in this vital work and look forward to further collaboration.”

On achieving this much-coveted award, the school has been identified by the Boarding School Mental Health Award Lead Coach/Verifier, Tracy Shand, as, “In essence, a community that shares and cares to shine a light for others to follow in boarding mental health.”

Nationally, more than 800 schools have signed up to take part in the mental health award.

Dean Johnstone, founder and CEO of Minds Ahead said: “This award shines a light on the excellent work schools are doing to promote mental health for their community of children and adults.

“It is thrilling and humbling to learn about DLD College London and the many other schools engaged in the quality award process. I’d like to offer my congratulations on this deserved recognition.”

DLD College London is the only independent school in the heart of London with on-site boarding and is housed in highly contemporary, purpose-built premises on 199 Westminster Bridge Road, overlooking the Palace of Westminster and the River Thames. The school was recently announced as winners of the Independent Schools of the Year, Special Judges’ Award and Independent Boarding School of the Year.

The school offers students aged 14 to 19 the opportunity to study a wide range of GCSEs, A-Levels, BTEC courses and International Foundation Programmes (IFP). It also offers an Academic Preparation Programme (APC).

As part of the Alpha Plus Group, DLD College London provides a ‘gold standard’ of educational quality. Classes are small, enabling students and teachers to focus upon the most effective ways of learning and to provide them with the highest levels of pastoral care both in school and in boarding. The school’s beating heart is its award-winning wellbeing centre.