Our goal is to provide an intellectual approach to wellness that prepares our students for long-term success. The mental and emotional well-being of students is as important as their academic progress. That’s why we’ve incorporated social and emotional learning into our curriculum.
This teaches our students skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation and empathy, helping them to manage their emotions and relationships effectively. We believe our approach to well-being will prepare our students for success, both academically and personally, while fostering a strong sense of community based on kindness and tolerance.
Our track record shows that our students are not only strategically well prepared for top universities, but also thrive as college graduates in their respective universities and careers.
The environment and design of our brand new Brighton campus is also incredibly important to developing our college culture and promoting wellbeing. In our purpose-built wellness center, students can use counseling and mental health services or consult our medical staff. In our world-class boarding facilities, they are supported to be independent in the safety and comfort of a campus environment.
Tess remembers being told as an undergraduate that her Cambridge College was designed to be beautiful, based on a long-held belief that natural beauty and architectural harmony fostered thoughtful thinking. Our Brighton campus celebrates this ability of the natural world to inspire. Our students will benefit from nature’s now proven positive impact on mental health: from the backdrop of the green hills of the South Downs to the nearby ocean, as well as the woodland conservation area we have preserved within the college grounds.
And let’s not forget the important socializing function of school and the importance of social interactions for young people. This applies in particular to international boarding schools. Parents will want to know about the people their child learns with, interacts with, and learns with.
At OIC Brighton we place great emphasis on creating a positive and inclusive school culture. Our community is made up of diverse people with shared values ​​and aspirations. Bringing the best minds together will have a huge academic impact, but just as important is the social effect: to be inspired by others, to be motivated by collaboration and to be influenced by new and exciting ways of thinking and doing things.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to all students and their families. The sudden shift to distance learning and social isolation has taken a toll on students’ mental health, and the OIC team has worked tirelessly to address these issues.
We have incorporated new ways of learning, trained teachers in the use of the latest online tools and incorporated this into our pedagogical approach of active learning, gapped repetition and learning discovery. Nord Anglia’s research on Gen Z members from around the world confirms what we’ve learned from experience: the key skills this generation wants to succeed in work and life are self-confidence, resilience and metacognition.
“Our Super Curricular program is built on the philosophy that real education is not just about academics”
We have a unique way of developing these skills in our students: the OIC Super Curriculum, designed by Yasmin to develop the attributes that will lead our students to top universities and future career success. Our Super Curricular program is built on the philosophy that true education is not just about academics.
It is about developing the whole person and helping students discover their passions and interests. Whether our students are attending a medical training seminar or getting tips on a rocket building project from an MIT expert; competing as a solo musician with Nord Anglia students from around the world or joining an embassy at the United Nations, their lives at OIC Brighton will be full of opportunities for personal and academic development.
With rich personal development, deep pastoral support systems, and our strategic approach to academic success, OIC’s approach prepares students for future success. It is with real excitement and respect that we look to the future of OIC Brighton and believe that our pioneers will amaze us with all that they achieve.
About the authors: This is a sponsored post by Yasmin Sarwar and Tess St Clair-Ford of OIC Brighton.
OIC Brighton’s Director of Education, Yasmin Sarwar, defines herself as an educator, challenging the sometimes conservative approach to education and championing a competitive modern approach where leaders are adept at all aspects of running their schools. Leads the field of education to ensure that innovation leads to positive development.
Tess St Clair-Ford, Founding Director of OIC Brighton, brings leadership experience in international education and in top UK boarding schools, bringing together the best of both educational cultures. He is an advocate for student welfare and pastoral systems that support academic excellence and personal development.
