Excellence in Schools 117
Across the three Brighton Colleges in the UAE, initiatives like the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award help nurture resilience, teamwork, and leadership – essential qualities that support both academic and personal success.
initiatives involving pupils, staff, parents, and the wider community. ADEK also collaborates with national initiatives such as the Ministry of Education’s ‘National Bullying Prevention Week’, and actively promotes stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution, and a culture of kindness and inclusion across school environments. These efforts reflect a wider commitment to ensuring that wellbeing and safety are embedded within the educational experience. Furthermore, when children feel a sense of belonging in school and feel happy, settled and valued, their confidence, self-esteem and engagement will grow. They are more inclined to try new things and are more likely to involve themselves fully in extra-curricular life. Not only do these experiences build character – they directly improve outcomes. Research in the UAE shows that pupils who participate in co-curricular and sports programmes often achieve higher academic results and show stronger attendance and engagement.
I often hear parents talking about how they want an ‘academic school’ and that, whilst they are sure that the pastoral side is important, they just want their children ‘to achieve results’. The reality is that the two are inextricably linked and schools that actively promote and develop wellbeing amongst their pupils will deliver better results for those pupils. A genuinely holistic education, therefore – one that places equal weight on academic rigour and emotional development – will nurture children with greater emotional balance, fewer attention or behavioural challenges, and more positive friendships. It equips them with the soft skills necessary to thrive in the modern workplace and gives them the greatest opportunity to achieve their personal best in all that they do. Everything else flows from that: from developing children who are happy, secure, and confident. That is what I want for my own children, and what I will continue to reinforce and celebrate in our school community.
BRIGHTON COLLEGE ABU DHABI
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