Sunmarke School

Sunmarke School implements Positive Education (PosEd) across all phases from EYFS to Year 13 to foster wellbeing, character development, and academic achievement. The PosEd approach is grounded in Positive Psychology and is designed to improve wellbeing, resilience, emotional intelligence, and a sense of purpose across the school. A Counselling Department provides compassionate care with a School Counsellor available to both students and parents. A Wellbeing Champion represents school leadership in the Parent Association, and Wellness Wednesday events address topics such as strength-based parenting and digital wellbeing. Wellbeing resources are accessible via the VLE, and the Environment & Sustainability Programme includes outdoor wellbeing activities like Forest School and the Zen Garden to support stress reduction and resilience.

The Achievement Centre – Inclusion Department leads inclusive education for Sunmarke's students from EYFS to Secondary, in close collaboration with parents, teachers and external specialists. The Inclusion Policy defines the main learner groups the school supports as SEND (Students of Determination), ELL, AEN, and Wellbeing concerns, and outlines an inclusive framework. The school provides interventions for literacy and mathematics, speaking and listening, social and motor skills, directed studies, and SEND-specific extra-curricular activities, with Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) supporting learning and participation and the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in collaboration with students, teachers and parents. The school maintains a network of external providers (e.g., speech and language therapy, occupational therapy) and offers 1:1 LSA support as needed, with ELL support coordinated within the inclusion framework. The Fortes English Language Programme offers intensive EAL support with cross-curricular immersion focusing on academic English, and ELL learners may access FELP classes or small group/1:1 targeted sessions via the Wellbeing team for social-emotional development. Sunmarke is an inclusive school rather than a specialist SEN institution, guided by the Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework and supported by an Inclusion Team and external partnerships.

Fortes English Language Programme is Sunmarke's intensive EAL provision, delivered as cross-curricular immersion with a focus on academic English and everyday language learned across subjects such as Art, Drama, PE and Music. English Language Learners can access FELP classes or small group and/or 1:1 targeted sessions, coordinated with the Wellbeing team to support social-emotional development. The Inclusion Department collaborates with parents and staff to plan language support and to track progress for EAL learners. The Fortes English Language Programme is designed to accelerate language acquisition and enable subject-specific English across the curriculum.

Positive Education is the school's framework for mental wellbeing, with a whole-school approach to nurturing wellbeing, resilience, and character. The Counselling Department provides dedicated support, with a School Counsellor available to students and families. A Wellbeing Champion represents leadership in the Parent Association, and Wellness Wednesday events raise awareness on topics such as strength-based parenting and digital wellbeing. Wellbeing resources and support are accessible via the VLE for students in EYFS, Primary and Secondary. Outdoor and nature-based elements of the Environment & Sustainability Programme, including Forest School and Zen Garden, contribute to mental wellbeing by reducing stress and promoting focus and resilience.

The Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy commits to promoting children's rights and protecting them from harm, aligning with Wadeema's Law and Keeping Children Safe in Education, with mandatory reporting for residents. The policy emphasizes prevention through a positive school climate and pastoral support, and requires staff training and a secure reporting system (CPOMS) for safeguarding concerns, overseen by the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Roles and responsibilities for safeguarding include a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputies, with annual reporting to the Board and robust recruitment checks and training for staff. Parents can obtain a copy of the policy via the VLE or request one, and the policy is also available on the Sunmarke site. Appendices and procedures, including safeguarding team posters and references to external guidelines, support ongoing safeguarding practice.