A toolbox for building growth and success
From increasing academic demands, to overnight growth spurts and changing friendships, students face many rapid changes and new challenges in the middle school years.
Using real, practical strategies to understand and manage emotions while building confidence gives young people a head start to become their very best selves.
“Our wellbeing initiatives are designed to help students navigate these challenges with resilience, confidence and a healthy sense of self, ensuring they thrive both academically and personally,” says James Ashby, Head of PE & Wellbeing (Middle School).
One wellbeing initiative is the Toolbox Education workshops. Held over two sessions, they give students in Years 5 and 6 tools to recognise and manage their emotions and solve problems with confidence.
Year 6 student Lachie is one student who has enjoyed the practical outcomes of the program. “I practised how to calm myself down and learnt how to better manage my emotions,” he says.
Introduced in 2024, the Toolbox workshops are a part of a broader, structured wellbeing program, which gives every Year 5 and 6 student practical, evidence-based tools to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
“The middle years are a critical window for social and emotional development. The Toolbox workshops give students the language and tools to understand themselves and others, reduce emotional overwhelm and build confidence, all through evidence-based, engaging lessons designed for young minds,” explains James.
Lachie agrees, saying, “Toolbox Education helped me understand a complex emotion and simplified it in a way that I understood.”
At the heart of Haileybury’s approach to wellbeing is a commitment to nurturing the whole person. When students feel supported, understood and confident, they are more likely to achieve their goals and become the best version of themselves.
“We know that by prioritising wellbeing, we are not only supporting students today but laying the groundwork for their lifelong health, happiness and success”James Ashby, Head of PE & Wellbeing (Middle School)
The School’s wellbeing program is wide ranging and proactive. Students participate in a range of incursions, such as the Toolbox workshops, that use expert providers to complement an explicit wellbeing curriculum subject.
This means students can experience deeper learning opportunities which include workshops on emotional regulation and conflict resolution.
Building lifelong physical wellbeing is also an important focus of wellbeing in the middle school years with students experiencing yoga, pilates, High Intensity Interval Training and swimming. These programs build new skills while supporting students to manage their stress, develop teamwork skills and discover new interests.
It is a school community where every child can thrive and is encouraged to be their best.
