We are thrilled to announce that Francis Holland, Sloane Square has been declared winner of the School House Mind & Mental Health Champion Award 2025, out of hundreds of entries from schools across the UK. Having also been named finalist for Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing 2025, we could not be more delighted to have achieved such widespread national recognition for something that is so fundamental to every element of our educational offering.
As our Head, Alexandra Haydon, notes, “this is a school where girls are known – by their teachers, their peers, and, crucially, supported to know themselves. Emotional wellbeing isn’t an initiative here – it’s in our DNA. Our values – love, humility, compassion, courage, hope, and thankfulness – aren’t words on a wall. They are the compass by which we navigate school life.”
The way we support girls at FHS could not be achieved without the dedication of each and every member of staff and every parent – underpinned by the incredible daily work of our Senior Deputy Head Pastoral, Sarah Pittaway, our Lead Counsellor, Zoe Juniper, and our truly outstanding pastoral and wellbeing teams – and we are incredibly grateful to them all.
The judges recognised how, at FHS, good mental health is a holistic priority rather than a remedial matter. Our dedicated pastoral hub, Cornerstone, which opened in September 2024, provides a calm, welcoming space and is home to ContemPlace, our six-person counselling team. Pupils can access a Drop-In Service or structured one-to-one therapy, supported by Kanga, our beloved Hungarian Vizsla therapy dog who promotes calm and emotional regulation. All pupils receive a Cornerstone booklet detailing support routes and outlining sources of external help.
Our proactive support system ensures every pupil feels seen, heard and truly known as an individual. Each form has 2–3 tutors with 10–11 pupils each, enabling meaningful half-termly one-to-ones and close monitoring of all pupils. Weekly Pulse check-ins provide an additional early intervention tool, with 72% of pupils checking in regularly and 75% of requests addressed within 24 hours. Transition into Year 7 is supported through bespoke integration programmes, buddy systems and our Collaboration Space for Years 7–8.
Wellbeing is embedded in the curriculum through weekly sessions on mental health, relationships and life skills, alongside parallel parent talks. Beyond the classroom, over 100 clubs (25 daily) promote creativity, connection and calm – from Pilates, Mindful Journalling and Art Therapy to Fish Keeping, Eco Club and volunteering. Initiatives such as Girls on Board, Peace Pledges and our phone-free Yondr system nurture empathy, resilience and authentic connection.
Our approach delivers measurable impact: 93% of pupils recognise a strong anti-bullying culture and 95% feel well-connected to adults at home. Parents agree – 92% say their daughters are happy and 98% say safe – while our October 2024 ISI inspection praised “a positive culture in which pupils feel safe and can thrive.”
Thank you so much to School House and their judging panel, and a huge congratulations to all the other winners and finalists. Follow this link to find out more.
