Frome Vale Academy

About the school's work

Essential Award: May 2026 

Congratulations to Frome Vale Academy on achieving the Essential Healthy Schools Award!

Highlights of the schools work: 

• Developing a strong understanding of the health and wellbeing needs of pupils through weekly multi disciplinary triage meetings, close partnership with families, and collaboration with external professionals such as the Mental Health Support Team, play therapists and family support services.
• Embedding a whole school, trauma informed approach to mental health and wellbeing, with a named senior mental health lead and ongoing staff training.
• Actively using pupil voice to shape school life through school council meetings, pupil voice groups, debates and voting, with representation monitored to ensure inclusion of all pupils.
• Making changes in response to pupil feedback, including new play equipment, menu changes, community cooking activities and whole school physical activity events.
• Ensuring all pupils have access to daily physical activity, including active lunchtimes, PE, Gym Run, Forest School and whole school events promoting movement and wellbeing.
• Creating a positive food and drink environment by meeting National School Food Standards, promoting healthy packed lunches, being a water and milk only school, and offering a healthy breakfast provision.
• Prioritising staff wellbeing, with wellbeing surveys, access to mental health networks and a culture that encourages staff to talk openly about mental health

The school is most proud of: 

"Ongoing development to support mental health and make it an open and safe topic to have as part of the school culture together with PMHS, MST, play therapy, creative psychotherapy"

As a result of working with the Bristol Health Schools Programme: 

"Staff are more open to sharing mental health struggles. "