SET Beccles School becomes Health and Wellbeing Lead school for Suffolk

SET Beccles, part of the Seckford Education Trust (SET), has become one of only 50 schools in England to be selected as a lead school for Health and Wellbeing by the Youth Sport Trust.

The move will see SET Beccles join a national network of schools, all working towards enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people across the country.

Heidi Philpott, Head of School at SET Beccles (pictured), said: “We are immensely proud to be awarded lead school status for Health and Wellbeing. SET Beccles prides ourselves on the holistic provision we offer our students, we truly believe that this supports greater academic progress and achievements for our students.”

Working with the charity, Youth Sports Trust, SET Beccles will be playing an active part in developing school provisions aimed at:

• Tackling the declining mental health in children and young people
• Providing targeted support for enhancing wellbeing in male students
• Reducing inactivity and improving physical, mental, and social health
• Developing a whole-school health and wellbeing culture, through PE and sport

In particular, SET Beccles have been tasked with piloting and developing created approaches to increase the engagement, wellbeing, and potential of young male students through PE and sport.

Chris Wright, Health and Wellbeing Lead, YST, said: “It is well-established that regular physical activity can enhance social, emotional, and physical wellbeing which in turn can enhance health-related quality of life.

“While it is important that these methods are implemented for all to promote positive wellbeing, such methods should be targeted at those who are at most risk of falling out of the system.

“The power of sport has the potential to develop boys’ skills and wellbeing from an early age to prevent such issues leading to a clinical diagnosis of a mental health disorder, exclusion from school, or involvement in the criminal justice system.”

The school also have plans to provide all staff with some training and professional development opportunities to help provide bespoke support for young male students within the school environment.

Danny Burton, Lead Practitioner – PE, at SET Beccles School, added: “We have the ambition of providing as many innovative and targeted projects as possible – aimed at improving our student’s Health and Wellbeing. We are really excited about this new partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, and keen to implement some of the early insight across the rest of Seckford Education Trust”.

SET Beccles School, on Castle Hill in Beccles, provides secondary education for students aged 11 – 16. It is one of five schools in the Seckford Education Trust and was one of the first schools to be opened in 2012, alongside SET Saxmundham and SET Ixworth.

For more information about Beccles School visit: https://www.becclesschool.org.uk/