Kensington Primary School was crowned the winner of the 2020 Tes Award for Wellbeing & Mental Health, broadcast in a live online show on Friday. This comes just two months after being awarded two Pearson Silver Awards in September, currently in the running for gold.

For Ben Levinson, Head Teacher at Kensington Primary, wellbeing is central to the school’s culture and permeates everything, including the curriculum. Mr Levinson sat on a task force dedicated to improving the wellbeing of UK educators, and has worked with the Department for Education to provide support to other Head Teachers in creating a culture of wellbeing. Also a founding member of the Well School’s movement, placing wellbeing at the heart of education, Mr Levinson’s dedication to creating a solid culture of wellbeing among pupils and staff has not gone unnoticed.

The lead judge for the wellbeing and mental health award, clinical psychologist Dr Tara Porter, praised Kensington Primary School’s wellbeing ethos, and the Head Teacher’s “enormous efforts”, adding: “He’s really looked at how to rethink the whole curriculum, to put the wellbeing of the children at the centre of what they do.”

Kensington Primary’s brand new ‘Curriculum K’ is tailored to support the specific opportunities and challenges that their children and community face, both now and in the future. Comprised of four key strands, Academic, Communication, Health (physical and emotional), and Culture, Curriculum K is both ‘how and what’ Kensington Primary teaches.

Ben Levinson shared his joy of receiving this award, and said:

“There isn’t an award I’d be prouder to win at this time. A place everyone loves to be is a place where people work hard, succeed, and are happy. That is what we have strived to create. From our trailblazing Curriculum K tailored for our children and the 21st century, to our focus on staff and community wellbeing, health is at the heart of Kensington Primary School. Being recognised for this has put a spring in everyone’s step, at an incredibly challenging time.”

This award is incredible recognition of the work being undertaken at Kensington Primary, and is testament to their ethos: ‘A place everyone loves to be’. We can’t wait to see what the school has in store for their children and community in the years to come.

https://www.tes.com/news/tes-awards-2020-wellbeing-and-mental-health-winner