Portsmouth High School’s Daffodil House

In September 2022, Portsmouth High School launched their new well-being centre, Daffodil House.

Mindfulness coach and presenter Claire Tamplin visited the school to officially open the new House, accompanied by many valued members of the GDST community.

Student well-being is at the heart of Portsmouth High School’s ethos. The house offers meeting spaces for student support sessions and is home to the school’s well-being team. Downstairs, Daffodil House has a student common room; the welcoming and relaxed nature of this space perfectly supports group workshops and lunchtime drop-in sessions run by the sixth form well-being ambassadors. Daffodil House also has its own courtyard garden offering a relaxing and calming outdoor social space for students. Portsmouth’s well-being work begins at the start of school life, providing pupils with a toolkit to anticipate potential problems and the skills to be proactive rather than reactive.

“I am really excited for the Daffodil House to take our well-being provision at PHS to the next level. We have always had a great support system here; and we hope the house will continue to cultivate an atmosphere of sharing, breaking down barriers and making it easier for students to come forward and talk about their feelings. Our Sixth Form well-being ambassadors will be based in the house at breaks and lunchtimes and will regularly run workshops on topics such as anxiety, neurodiversity and age-based talks, such as fading friendships. The space is approachable and relaxed and will perfectly support group workshop sessions and enabling conversations about our well-being to take place authentically and frequently.”

Nell, Year 13
Deputy Head Girl (Well-being)

“Previous experiences have shown me the importance of a support system and the value of a safe place to discuss how you feel. I’m looking forward to working with younger pupils and pass on the importance of sharing and talking about what is worrying them and not to be afraid to reach out for advice and guidance from school and wider wellbeing communities, there is always a way forward. Confiding how you feel, with others, helps gain perspective and you find ways to manage your anxieties. I am excited to be a Well-being Ambassador and contribute to this initiative of sharing, talking to others and building tools to manage issues.”

Annice, Year 13
Well-being Ambassador

Headmistress, Mrs Jane Prescott, adds “This exciting project falls within our 140th anniversary year and celebrates and connects to our founding values of girls first in everything we do.”