Colegio Británico de Cartagena

Be Well is the school's framework for wellbeing and mental health. It defines five focus areas: Sleep, Healthy Living, Social Networks and Screen Time, Brain and Your Wellbeing, and It's Good to Talk. It provides guidance to students, staff and families on maintaining emotional and physical wellbeing. The school promotes a positive wellbeing culture with universal and targeted supports to develop resilience and social-emotional skills, including cross-curricular approaches to risk awareness from K2 to K12 and the daily application of the RULER program for emotional regulation. Be Well activities include Global Be Well Day, safe spaces, and student voice surveys to identify vulnerable students and tailor support. The safeguarding lead coordinates wellbeing and safeguarding across the school.

Emotional and social support is provided universally, with additional support available through a SENCO (coordinator of special educational needs) who assesses student needs and either provides direct support or refers to the appropriate professional (DSL or safeguarding/coexistence teams) when more resources are required. The school offers individual support programs that strengthen social, emotional and behavioral skills, and inclusion is implemented through the Decree of Educational Inclusion with development of DUA and PIAR (Plan for Inclusion and Reasonable Adjustments). When universal supports are not enough, there is access to more specialized help, including SENCO, psychoeducational work with psychology, or a shadow tutor trained in safeguarding. One-to-one sessions enable students to discuss concerns in a confidential setting, while the school does not substitute professional mental health or clinical care. The school collaborates with families and external specialists to ensure access to appropriate services.

The Cognita-RedCol international network prioritizes mental health and wellbeing and defines Be Well as a cross-school focus. The Be Well framework directs attention to five areas—Sleep, Healthy Living, Social Networks and Screen Time, Brain and Your Wellbeing, and It's Good to Talk—and provides guidance to students, staff and families on maintaining wellbeing. The network fosters a healthy culture and delivers school-wide wellbeing education, including routines, preventative programs, and the RULER approach for emotional regulation, as well as calm spaces and transversal wellbeing initiatives from K2 to K12. Global Be Well Day activities and the VOS (student voice) survey help identify vulnerable students and shape targeted supports. Safeguarding and wellbeing strategies are integrated to ensure timely support and family involvement in wellbeing decisions.

Safeguarding is a school-wide priority with a Designated Safeguarding Lead (and deputy) and a contact network to coordinate safeguarding across the school. All staff have a responsibility to support safeguarding and must report concerns to the safeguarding lead, who will inform parents and coordinate with external agencies as needed. If a student is at risk or discloses abuse, staff follow internal safeguarding protocols and involve the safeguarding lead or deputy, with external agencies engaged when appropriate. Cases are reviewed at least monthly, with weekly follow-up in suicide-risk situations and ongoing collaboration with parents and safeguarding professionals. Staff receive safeguarding training and guidance on conduct, and a shadow tutor may be assigned with safeguarding training when needed. In extreme cases, temporary or permanent withdrawal may be considered in agreement with families and treating professionals to protect the student and the wider community.