We are delighted to announce that Arnold House has been awarded the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools – School Mental Health Award at Gold level. This prestigious national accreditation recognises schools that demonstrate exemplary, sustained commitment to mental health and wellbeing through evidence-based, whole-school practice.
Achieving Gold level places us among a select group of schools nationally recognised for meeting the highest standards of the Carnegie framework. To formalise and strengthen our provision, we aligned our work with the School Mental Health Award framework and conducted a comprehensive whole-school audit across eight key areas, including leadership and strategy; organisational culture for pupils and staff; professional development; support systems; and engagement with external services. Our submission combined qualitative insight with quantitative evidence, demonstrating our commitment to exemplary pastoral care and proactive, research-informed wellbeing leadership. This rigorous, evidence-based approach confirms that wellbeing at Arnold House is strategically led, coherently structured, and fully embedded
throughout school life. By teaching wellbeing explicitly and modelling it in daily practice, we ensure it is not simply an initiative, but a lived experience that becomes second nature for our boys, establishing us as a leading example of best practice nationally.
The assessors highlighted our warm, inclusive culture, the strength of relationships across the community, and the confidence and pride of our boys. They particularly commended our whole school wellbeing model, which ensures wellbeing is strategically embedded and sustained across all areas of school life. This approach fosters a stigma-free environment where wellbeing conversations are normalised and actively supported, and where initiatives consistently develop pupils’ emotional literacy, reflective capacity, and lifelong wellbeing skills.
Our leadership, staff wellbeing provision, and culture of professional learning were also recognised as significant strengths. Beyond our school, we contribute to regional, national, and international networks through the sharing of research, practice, and expertise, demonstrating that our approach benefits not only our own community but also the wider educational landscape.
This accreditation provides independent validation that we are delivering mental health and wellbeing provision at the highest level. In an increasingly complex and demanding world, it gives our families confidence that our boys are being prepared not only for academic success, but for life as resilient, confident, and compassionate individuals.
Receiving the School Mental Health Award at Gold level is a tremendous honour. We are immensely proud of our boys, staff, and wider community for our shared commitment to making wellbeing central to everything we do at Arnold House.
Natalie Hall
Director of Wellbeing, Head of English, Year 6 Form Tutor
