News
Two GDST schools declared ‘champions’ in the School House Awards 2024
We are delighted and proud to announce that two GDST schools are winners in the School House Awards this year. Congratulations to ‘Charity Champion’ Notting Hill & Ealing High School and ‘Pastoral Care Champion’ Sydenham High School.
Charity Champions
Notting Hill & Ealing was named Charity Champion due to the school’s culture of volunteering and how it deepened its already sustained relationships with local charities. The judges felt the school really engaged with their school community and this led to innovative fundraising ideas as a result. As part of the school’s recent 150th anniversary it held a volunteering day with every student participating which meant that more than 3,500 hours were logged in charitable efforts.
Find out more about Notting Hill & Ealing’s charity and volunteering work
Pastoral Care Champions
Sydenham High School were declared the winning school in the Pastoral Care category. The judge Chloe Billington praised the school’s bespoke Mind, Body and Soul programme in particular, which is central to the school’s commitment to pupil wellbeing. Firmly rooted into the school’s ethos is educating the whole child, beyond simply achieving excellent grades, to balance mind, body and soul. The school offers students and parents a range of support, this includes events such as ‘Brain Bootcamp’, which advises on healthy eating. There was also praise for the way the school celebrates diversity and engages with the local community.
Find out more about Sydenham High’s wellbeing and pastoral care at their Prep School and Senior School.
About the Girls’ Day School Trust
The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) is the leading network of all girls’ schools in the UK, with 24 independent schools and two academies, across England and Wales. As a registered charity, the GDST reinvests all its income back into its schools.
Pastoral Care at GDST schools
The GDST has long recognised the importance of taking a proactive approach to psychological health, building emotional intelligence and resilience in pupils and giving them a sense of their own agency. GDST schools benefit from the central network in developing their pastoral provision and The Trust has an extensive pastoral training programme, and a Pastoral Consultant Teacher dedicated to sharing excellent practice between schools.
Find out more about Pastoral Care at the GDST
