Here at SBS we believe it is crucial to promote a whole school ethos that has diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and equity awareness at its core. Read more
Top Rated for Wellbeing
KHDA 'Schools Wellbeing rating 2023'
Wellbeing & Pastoral Care
What Wellbeing Means to Us
At Safa British School, wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. It is more than a programme, it is a whole-school approach that ensures every child, staff member, parent, and member of our community feels safe, valued, and supported.
We believe that a strong sense of wellbeing is the foundation for successful learning and personal growth. It guides our decisions and shapes the caring, inclusive culture that defines SBS. Our diverse student body brings a rich tapestry of strengths, needs, and experiences, and we are proud to nurture an environment where differences are not only recognised but celebrated.
Wellbeing at SBS is about promoting emotional and social resilience. Through our embedded practices, we encourage kindness, empathy, self-awareness, and respect. We support our students in building the confidence and life skills needed to thrive—both within our international school community and beyond.
Our goal is simple: to foster a happy, healthy, and connected school where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
We Celebrate Our Differences
At Safa British School, we believe that every child thrives in a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment. Our pastoral care is rooted in mutual respect and a strong sense of community, where wellbeing is woven into the fabric of daily school life.
In our vibrant, multicultural setting, we embrace and celebrate the uniqueness of every student. From academic and creative successes to cultural and personal milestones, we recognise that every achievement matters.
We work closely with families to support each child’s emotional and physical wellbeing, responding with care and compassion to the challenges they may face. Where needed, we collaborate with trusted external partners such as KidsFirst and LightHouse Arabia to offer bespoke support for both children and parents.
At SBS, we don’t just talk about pastoral care—we live it. It’s what helps us nurture confident, kind, and resilient learners, every single day.
Our Award-Winning DiverCity Curriculum
At Safa British School, diversity is more than a characteristic—it’s a celebrated strength that runs through everything we do. With over 77 nationalities represented in our school community, we are proud to lead the way in inclusive education through our award-winning DiverCity Curriculum.
Carefully designed by our teachers, this unique curriculum weaves representation, empathy, and global awareness into everyday learning. Each year group explores three core texts across the academic year, chosen not only for their literary merit, but for their ability to reflect a wide range of voices, backgrounds, and lived experiences. These texts form the foundation for a dedicated unit of work each term, enriched with purposeful learning objectives, creative activities, and meaningful cross-curricular links.
Our DiverCity Curriculum encourages students to see the world through multiple lenses, to value different perspectives, and to find their own voice in a community that celebrates every culture, every story, and every child.
Theme Weeks & Guest Speakers
At Safa British School, our approach to wellbeing and inclusion is guided by the needs of our community. Whether supporting students or engaging parents, we regularly invite expert guest speakers to lead purposeful workshops and assemblies that enhance both our pastoral care and curriculum.
For example, we’ve welcomed Coach Maysaa, who delivered sessions on screen time and supporting children through times of transition, and our older students have participated in workshops focused on exam pressure and managing stress. We were also privileged to host Jessica Smith, a motivational speaker and Paralympian, who led powerful assemblies encouraging resilience, self-belief, and inclusion.
Throughout the year, we run targeted initiatives such as Kind Mind Week, a whole-school celebration of empathy, kindness, and mental health. These themed weeks are thoughtfully aligned with our DiverCity Curriculum, helping to foster a compassionate, inclusive culture where every voice is valued.
Regular Wellbeing Checks
At Safa British School, we know that emotional wellbeing is central to academic and personal success. When children feel happy, safe, and understood, they are more likely to be curious, engaged, and motivated to learn.
To support this, we use Komodo, a digital wellbeing platform running from Year 3 through to Sixth Form, to track and monitor student wellbeing. These regular check-ins allow us to identify patterns, respond early to concerns, and tailor support to individual needs.
For our younger learners, we take a more age-appropriate approach. Children in FS and Key Stage 1 complete pictorial wellbeing check-ins inspired by the storybook The Colour Monster, helping them to begin identifying and expressing their emotions in a simple, child-friendly way.
By embedding regular wellbeing checks into school life, we ensure every child’s emotional needs are acknowledged, valued, and supported.
Pastoral Care & Wellbeing Team
Primary Pastoral Care
To further support our holistic approach here at Safa, we use the Komodo Wellbeing platform as an additional tool to help us monitor and nurture the wellbeing of our students. This innovative platform enhances the strong relationships we already have in place by allowing us to track student wellbeing trends and identify areas where support may be needed. Komodo does not replace the personal connections between staff and students but instead complements our efforts, helping us respond even more effectively to individual needs. With this data-driven insight, we can ensure that every child feels supported, valued, and heard.
Rationale
At Safa British School, our children’s social and emotional well-being are at the heart of everything that we do. This policy outlines procedures related to rewards and positive behaviour management. Our pastoral care reflects a positive ethos that builds upon an intrinsic self-motivation to learn as part of our Safa Learning Culture. At Safa, we facilitate the development of all members of our school community. We promote a sense of belonging to our school community where each individual is valued and his/her uniqueness is celebrated. We believe pastoral care is the responsibility of the entire school and we recognize that central to the success of this is the involvement of parents carers and other outside agencies within the community.
Aims
- To value and appreciate one another irrespective of age, gender or race.
- To celebrate diversity.
- To instil a sense of personal worth and dignity through intellectual, moral and emotional development.
- To support and prepare our children to meet the demands and challenges of everyday life.
- To acknowledge that everyone has a valued role within our school community.
- To produce an environment in which all children feel safe, secure and respected.
- To ensure that staff are clear about the behaviour expectations to help support the learning process effectively, including the school vision and ethos.
- To ensure all pastoral practices are sensitive and supportive to individual circumstances during the current global pandemic.
- To develop children’s skills in building and maintaining good relationships with peers, teachers and others.
- To support the transition of distance learners back into school-based learning.
Purpose
- To develop self-confidence and self-esteem, showing pride in our achievements and in our school.
- To show sensitivity and consideration for others.
- To develop respect and tolerance for other ways of life and different opinions.
- To develop responsibility for our learning and our environment.
- To adopt a healthy and safe lifestyle.
Positive Reinforcement
We use positive reinforcement in order to promote and support a safe and happy learning environment. Examples of positive reinforcement are:
- Verbal praise and positive feedback
- Sharing good work with others
- Visiting Ms McGeever for the head teacher award
- Special achievements are celebrated in our weekly newsletter
- House points via Classcharts
- Notes or email/phone call home
- Safa Stars Certificate is awarded weekly by the class teacher for following Safa values and class rules, helping others, progress, attainment and perseverance.
Anti-Bullying at Safa British School
At Safa British School, we take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. Every incident is taken seriously and responded to with care, consistency, and a strong commitment to student wellbeing. All members of our school community, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, ability, or background, are expected to treat one another with respect and kindness.
We are proud to partner with the Anti-Bullying Alliance UK, ensuring our practices are informed by the latest research, guidance, and national best practice. This partnership strengthens our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all.
Anti-bullying education is deeply embedded into school life. It is taught through assemblies, our MSCS curriculum, and whole-school initiatives that encourage empathy, confidence, and the power of positive peer relationships.
At SBS, we don’t just respond to bullying—we actively build a culture where it cannot thrive.
Wellbeing Ambassadors
At Safa British School, we believe that student voice is a powerful force for positive change. In our Primary School, each year group is represented by dedicated Wellbeing Ambassadors pupil leaders who are passionate about creating a kind, connected, and caring school environment.
Easily recognised in the playground by their blue high-visibility jackets and the motto "Feeling blue? I can help you", these ambassadors offer a friendly face and a helping hand to anyone in need of support during the school day.
Our ambassadors go beyond the playground. They lead meaningful initiatives throughout the year, such as the Hot Play Equipment Donation Drive, our vibrant Hobbies Fair, and the World Environment Day Challenge—all designed to promote wellbeing, creativity, and community engagement across the school.
By giving students ownership of wellbeing, we foster empathy, leadership, and a shared responsibility for creating a happy and inclusive school culture.
Secondary Pastoral Care
Behaviour for Learning
At Safa British School, we strive to nurture and develop confident, independent and resilient learners who are equipped to reach their full potential. We aim to develop self-confidence and excellence throughout our school community.
ACHIEVES Ethos
Through positive education and our ACHIEVES ethos, we help our students develop character strengths that will prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow. The expectation is that positive behaviour will support learning, progress and achievement for all students.
Aims
- To promote a unique culture and community that can only be found at Safa Secondary School.
- To prepare students for real life, equipping them with the skills necessary to become successful citizens in society.
- For all students to ACHIEVE success through school/community-based initiatives, strategies and activities.
- To focus ultimately on improving the students’ academic, social, behavioural and emotional progress whilst at Safa British School.
- To implement a bespoke programme of content from Year7 – Year 10, created from both staff and student voice.
- To develop positive collaborative relationships amongst staff, parents and students when implementing ACHIEVES.
Lessons
ACHIEVES lessons and activities focus on equipping students with the tools necessary to live a successful, happy and fulfilled life after school.
Wellbeing & Pastoral Care at Safa British School
Rationale
At Safa British School, we believe Pastoral Care permeates all aspects of a student’s school life. Our Pastoral Care ensures that the needs of all our secondary students are placed at the centre of our school operations. In order to ensure that staff and students are signing from the same hymn sheet, we have implemented our very own bespoke ACHIEVES programme to ensure that together, we will strive to enact the stated Mission, Vision and Aims of Safa British School – To create a school that unlocks the potential of every child. Our Pastoral Care at Safa is omnipresent and touches every part of school life. It can be felt at all levels of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment, school organisation, ethos and environment. Every teacher is devoted to the personal, social development, education and care of our secondary students across the school. At Safa British School, we recognise that central to the success of students, is the involvement of parents, families and other outside agencies within the community. We strive to work in partnership with them to achieve our aims.
Aims
- To instill the importance that both student and teacher voice matters.
- To promote positive mental health for every member of our staff and student body.
- To use both universal whole school approaches and specialised, targeted approaches aimed at vulnerable students.
- To promote a caring, supportive, safe environment in which staff and students can work in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
- To facilitate the development of all members of our school community.
- To deliver a distributed model of pastoral care, where all staff know the actions they are required to take both proactively and reactively, in order to get the best results.
- To ensure that care is consistent, fair and reliable across the school and that it is felt by the students.
- To create and foster a sense of belonging to our school community where each individual is valued and her/his uniqueness is recognised.
- To nurture a school community that is both caring and positive and built on a foundation of tolerance and respect.
- To promote the growth of an environment where equality and diversity are celebrated, respected and valued.
- To teach and develop beneficial lifelong learning skills that enable students to effectively handle issues and problems commonly encountered in daily life.
- To be an inclusive community with a diverse student body.
- To ensure our effective care is proactive and preventative, in that our school provides a range of activities and supports various processes that anticipate ‘critical incidents’ in student’s lives.
- To promote healthy communication between families, peers and staff.
Purpose
- To enhance students’ school experiences and assist in enriching their health, wellbeing and academic outcomes.
- To promote respectful positive relationships within the school environment that that encourage students to develop emotional and social connections with others.
- To develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life-changes and challenges, such as bullying and discrimination.
- To give students a voice at school, in their community and in society at large.
- To enable students to make a positive contribution by developing the expertise and experience they need to assert their rights and understand their responsibilities, while preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of adult and working life.
- To achieve a positive learning environment through clarity of expectations, rules, rewards and consequences, which leads to staff and students being empowered to consistently meet school expectations.
- To help students to explore their difficulties and concerns and to develop their capabilities and resilience.
Positive Reinforcement
We use positive reinforcement to promote an environment which encourages success both socially, independently and academically. We use every opportunity to praise and reward our students. Rewards and privileges are put in place for students to motivate them to strive for success. Our Student Council plays an active role in implementing our rewards’ events.
- Verbal praise and feedback
- Sharing examples of outstanding work with other students
- Epraise awards
- Attainment and Progress achievement assemblies evert term
- House points via Epraise
- Pizza parties
- Reward’s trip
- Emails/phone calls to parents
Peer Mentors
Peer Mentors were established in secondary to offer peer support to students who wish to reach out and talk with other students. Mentors are assigned to each Form Tutor group and work alongside the Form Tutors to offer support and advice from a student’s perspective. Our Peer Mentors also coordinate a weekly Wellbeing Wednesday Form Time lesson to address both current issues of concern and relevant topics for class discussion. Many of our Wellbeing Wednesday sessions stem from weekly Pulse Wellbeing Check-in results and students adding concerns to our ‘’Issues in a Box.’’