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Junior School Wellbeing

Happiness and Wellbeing

The happiness and general welfare of our girls is of prime importance and all members of staff are involved in their pastoral care. We encourage a safe and supportive learning environment in which everyone feels safe, comfortable and secure.

Our structured programme of Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE) aims to build self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. It also raises awareness about important health-related issues and focuses on mindfulness. The girls have regular ‘circle time’ sessions and Form Times, forums in which they can discuss issues of common interest and help one another. This helps to enhance social skills, develop self-esteem and to initiate collective responsibility. There are regular Mindfulness sessions and we mark Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week every year. The girls also benefit from having both a Welfare Assistant and a Counsellor on site, who help support their physical, mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The girls have a real sense of ownership of the school, with a strong pupil voice right from when they join in Reception. Roles of responsibility include: School Councillors, House and Vice House Captains, Sustainability Leaders, Performing Arts Leaders, Digital Leaders,, Head Girls and Channing Character Champions, all of which provide the girls with opportunities to make positive changes to our community.

We strive to support the girls as they transition through the school. Our specialised transition provision includes initiatives such as Reception and Year 6 tea parties with Miss Hamalis; Moving Up Day at the end of every academic year, where pupils spend the morning with their new form and Form Teacher, whole year group PE lessons, key transition events and one-to-one wellbeing chats in Year 5, all aimed at ensuring the girls feel prepared, confident and supported as they move through each stage of their education.

Communication

We aim to communicate frequently and effectively, as we believe the partnership between school and home is paramount. This is achieved through parents and staff communicating via reading records, talking at pick up, by email, on the telephone and via Miss Hamalis’ weekly Bulletin. All staff are available to discuss any concerns or just to touch base with parents whenever mutually convenient.

All members of the community – girls, parents, staff, governors – adhere to The Channing Promise

Pupils developed The Channing Promise to articulate the School’s core values and Code of Conduct to which every member of the School community commits.

At Channing School, we:

Treat everyone with respect and kindness.
Think of others and be aware of their feelings.
Create a positive and supportive environment where we have the freedom to act, think and be heard.
Make the most of the opportunities we are given.
Treat all people fairly.

Moving up to the Senior School

Channing Senior School is the natural progression for most girls in Year 6. The girls in the Junior School do not have to sit the 11+ entrance examination, which allows them to enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum, learning free from the pressure of being prepared for the 11+ tests. Our transition provision also supports the girls in their transition into Year 7 through activities such as a Transition Form Time hosted by Year 7 pupils from the Senior School, a Year 5 Taster Day at the Senior School and a Year 7 Welcome Afternoon, all designed to familiarise them with their new environment and build their confidence.

In fact, we do not teach to any tests. It is not part of our ethos and we know that this benefits our pupils academically, socially and emotionally as they move up through the Junior School, Senior School and all the way to Sixth Form.

But don’t just take our word for it.

In the 2024 summer public examinations, of the pupils who sat A levels at Channing School, 17 had been in our Junior School, with 35.3% of all grades awarded A*, 82% A*- A and 96% A-B. Three students achieved 3A*s and one student 3A* and 1A. All 17 students achieved at least 1 A* or A grade. This compares most favourably with 88.4% A*-B achieved by the overall cohort. In short, Channing Junior School pupils outperformed their non-Channing Junior School contemporaries. And this happens every year! Also both students that got 10 9A*s went to the Junior School!

Although the Junior and Senior Schools occupy separate sites on either side of Highgate Hill, we are joined by so much that it feels like one community. The Junior School pupils visit the Senior School for Taster Days and use the state of the art performing arts facilities, the Arundel Centre. The Senior School students often visit the Junior School to use the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA).

There is always an extra buzz in assemblies when the Junior School girls join the Senior School students. Channing Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Year 5’s rendition of ‘Five Gold Rings’ during our singing of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas!’. Whole-school assemblies also celebrate the Junior School girls’ academic, sporting, musical, artistic and charitable achievements – we all sing, clap and, most importantly, skip out of the hall at the end of each term, led out by the Junior School pupils and Miss Hamalis, Head of the Junior School!

Tooled Up

We aim to provide holistic support to everyone in our school community, across all areas of family life, which is why we subscribe to a digital platform called Tooled Up Education. This gives our families and our staff access to an invaluable digital library of evidence-based resources on all aspects of parenting, education and family life. Founder, Dr Kathy Weston, has collated the best and most up-to-date research from around the world and distilled it into usable, easy to understand resources which can be instantly applied to daily life.

Tooled Up’s mission is to give every parent and teacher the tools they need to develop children into young adults who are:

Self-confident, self-sufficient and full of self-worth
Curious about the world and passionate about learning
Digitally skilled and digitally resilient

Houses and Buddies

All girls belong to a House, named after eminent residents of Highgate who were connected to the School. They remain in the same House from when they join to when they leave at the end of their Channing journey. Girls with sisters and family members all belong to the same house. The four Houses are: Goodwin, Sharpe, Spears and Waterlow.

Girls in Reception have a House Buddy in an older year group who they often play with in the playground, take part in activities such as quizzes, writing letters, or reading stories during House Buddy Form Time.