We teach students about the importance and benefits of healthy habits as part of our Personal, Social, Health and Economic syllabus, and promote physical activity, a balanced diet and self-care activities throughout the curriculum and school life.
Healthy eating
At Ark Elvin Academy we value the importance of meal times. We are committed to provide a healthy and nutritious meal for every child alongside the experience of eating meals in a small group alongside adults. We have an onsite kitchen where all our meals are cooked fresh each day.
We also run a breakfast club where children can get involved in a range of activities and receive a nutritionally balanced meal.
Mental health
At Elvin we take pastoral support seriously because we know it makes a difference. We aim for Ark Elvin to be a place of safety where students know their voices will be heard and their fears allayed.
We promote positive mental health for every student and member of staff, and have both a universal whole-school approach to mental health, together with specialised, targeted approaches for vulnerable students. Form tutors are an important advocate and source of support throughout pupils’ time.
We collaborate with children's mental health charity Place2Be. Place2Be is there to help children find ways to cope with difficult feelings or situations, so their worries don't get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves. Place2Be's professionals work with individuals one-to-one or in small groups, giving regular support for pupils who need it. Place2Be always gets agreement from parents or carers before they support an individual through one-to-one counselling, and meet with parents or carers regularly to keep them updated.
We won the mental health excellence award at the Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards. The award recognises our work to remove the stigma around mental health.
Physical activity
At Ark Elvin, we strive to ensure pupils receive regular exercise through our physical education curriculum and through our extensive enrichment program. We offer over 25 sporting enrichment clubs before, during and after school so that our pupils can learn and master their skills within a wide range of sports. We organise multiple weekly sporting fixtures within the Brent, Ark and regional competitions.