‘Mind over Matter’ wellbeing initiative highly commended

Royal High School Bath has been Highly Commended in the Special Sixth Form category of the Muddy Stilettos’ Best Schools Awards 2022.

Muddy Stilettos commended Royal High School Bath for its ‘Mind over Matter’ wellbeing initiative - an initiative introduced to empower students to replace anxiety with agency during lockdown and all its consequent disruption.

The Mind Over Matter programme was developed by Luke Benedict, the Head of Sixth Form, in conjunction with Kathryn Schofield, the Exams Officer – both of whom witnessed first-hand the anxiety experienced by students who had to endure cancelled exams, repeated lockdowns, endless uncertainty and a process of perpetual assessment required by Teacher Assessed Grades.

The ambition of the initiative was to provide students with a range of practical strategies to manage both their mental health and their preparation for assessments. The beauty of the programme was its simplicity; a weekly email, known as the Inbox of Tricks which offered practical strategies to tackle studying as well as wellbeing and having fun.

Luke Benedict, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We’re thrilled to be recognised for this because it speaks to our vision of balancing academic aspiration with perspective. The programme was designed to give the students a sense of agency at a time when they felt like they had lost all control of their education, focusing on practical strategies to support academic and emotional welfare. We also protected space for levity and fun in celebrating the intrinsic value of curiosity with the eclectic wonder of our ‘Lockdown Lightness’ daily messages."

Muddy Stilettos is an urban guide to the countryside with editions across England and overseas. Every year they run awards for independent businesses. This year, they introduced a new awards category, the Best Schools Awards 2022.