A top-notch education opens doors for our children, but what if they can’t step outside of their sheltered environment into the real world? A great academic portfolio alone won’t help them to navigate the challenges of real life, which is why Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) places so much emphasis on preparing their students for the world beyond school, even starting as young as the age of three.
Emma Kiely, Assistant Head of DUCKS (Dulwich College Kindergarten School), shares how the DUCKS programme helps kids from three to seven develop their independence and resilience. “Ensuring that our children are happy, healthy and are prepared for the world starts right from the first day in Nursery. We give children the foundations for the rest of their learning and how they will interact with the world, and it is vital that we teach them to listen to and trust themselves as well as helping them to learn how and when to ask for help.
Kiely continues, “There are many things we do in DUCKS to prepare our children, explicitly and implicitly. Our Values are embedded in everything we do, and we celebrate the children demonstrating our values frequently throughout the school day through verbal praise, values stickers and certificates. The children know our values so well, they can recognise and discuss them, even starting from Nursery.
“Next, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are woven through our Units of Investigation. These units build on key concepts of identity, expression, exploration, organisation and sustainability across DUCKS. Parents are often surprised how even ourthe youngest children demonstrate so much independence.”
The journey to real-world preparedness continues in DCB’s Junior School, where studentslearn key values-based skills and connect with their own class community. Mindful Morning sessions take place four times a week and support students to find their own ways to look after their own mental health and wellbeing. “Activities include reflective tasks such as journaling or mindfulness activities, as well as using the time to have class community circles about the importance of strengthening friendships and supporting each other,” reveals Junior School’s Assistant Head Teacher, in charge of Student Support Services, Sean Simkins.
In alignment with DCB’s mission to “Live Worldwise”, teachers explore learning through an inquiry approach, following the children’s interests which fosters curiosity about the world, develops the children’s own ideas and hypotheses, and builds key skills such as active problem solving. “In order to consolidate this beyond the classroom, it has been vital to have parental involvement, and we have been able to achieve this through enhanced collaboration at our Parent Academies,” says Mr Simkins. “These have been workshops aimed at aligning our parents with the school’s approach to mindfulness and wellbeing and it has been lovely to see so many participating and working together.”
Mr Simkins continues, “Across the school, we celebrate a range of key events that aim to unlock the potential and the skills required to thrive and succeed in the real world, outside of the school environment. It may be through charitable events, awareness-raising activities, such as Pink Week, DEI, Black History Month, Empathy week or educating about how they can be agents of change. As a school, we have also created a number ofstudent leadership roles across the community that give them a chance to try new things and be open minded.”
As Senior School Deputy Head Teacher (Wellbeing) & Whole College Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr Kevin Rossall has a lot to offer on the topic of real-worldpreparedness for students.
“At DCB, we integrate safeguarding practices into a holistic and bespoke set of curricula to address students’ needs in a well-rounded manner. This ranges from whole college efforts such as the “Online Safety” programmes that focus on empowering students to safely engage in digital spaces in an age-appropriate way to the “Speak Out and Stay Safe” program, which emphasizes understanding and advocating safe boundaries and recognizing unsafe situations.
“We also promote well-being through our Student Wellbeing Framework, which is a 25-factor framework (below) that is audited by staff and students together annually, which gives us our action plan for the year ahead. This then encourages students to work in partnership with the school and lead change with empathy and resilience. By providing students with leadership opportunities and real-world problem-solving tasks, we help them develop both the skills and the mindset necessary for life beyond school.”
Ms Kiely sums up, “Through all of these aspects we hope that our children will be confident in themselves, listen to their feelings and consider the feelings of others as they grow and move through the college and interact with the wider community.”
Images: Courtesy of DCB
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