Student Well-being and Safeguarding at Mount of Olives College Kakiri
Mount of Olives College Kakiri (MOCK) is committed to providing a holistic and nurturing environment that prioritizes the welfare, safety, and development of every student. The school’s approach to well-being and safeguarding is integrated into its core mission, which is centered on the principle of “Every child matters.”
This commitment extends beyond physical safety to encompass the student’s personal, social, mental, and spiritual health, preparing them to “play a responsible and productive role in society.”
Core Pillars of Student Well-being and Care
The school implements several specific programs and practices to ensure comprehensive care and protection for its students:
1. Holistic Life Education and Personal Development
A key component of the school’s strategy is the mandatory weekly ‘Life Education’ lesson. This program is designed to equip students with crucial skills for navigating life’s challenges in the 21st century. The curriculum focuses on:
Personal and Social Health: Imparting skills for healthy living, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships.
Leadership Education: Building confidence and skills for self-management and leading with integrity.
Health Management: Providing essential information on health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention.
2. Dedicated Mentorship and Guidance
MOCK utilizes a personalized system of mentorship to ensure every student has a committed adult advocate on campus:
School Family Initiative (SFI): Every student is assigned a ‘Teacher Parent’ who acts as a personal tutor and mentor. This dedicated guidance figure provides motivation, monitors the student’s overall progress, and offers essential personal support.
Career Education: Guidance and counseling are deeply integrated into the school’s teaching structure, with all teachers engaging in career guidance at the class, house, and tutor levels to provide students with a clear purpose for their studies.
3. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
The school demonstrates an awareness of student mental health needs, supported by a staff trained to provide care.
Trained Counselors: The school has personnel with a background in guidance and counseling, indicating a system is in place to provide therapeutic support, help students develop coping strategies, and address various psychological and emotional problems.
Peer Support and Awareness: The college has been noted for its involvement in external initiatives, such as training Mental Health Champions (student peers) to recognize signs of stress and anxiety in their classmates. This creates a confidential, peer-to-peer support layer, helping to reduce the stigma around seeking help.
4. Spiritual and Moral Development
As a Christian-founded institution, the school places significant emphasis on values and character building:
Inculcating Positive Values: The curriculum is designed to instill positive values that reflect ethical and sound judgment, encouraging self-respect, good manners, and orderliness.
Spiritual Programmes: Collective worship, prayer, Mass, and retreats are organized to encourage the spiritual, cultural, social, and emotional development of every individual, aiming to produce a wholesome child.
The school’s emphasis on a comprehensive ‘School Family Initiative,’ mandatory Life Education, and integration of guidance and counseling across the curriculum demonstrates a strong institutional commitment to holistic student well-being and proactive safeguarding against neglect and abuse.
The video below showcases one of the student activities at the college.
MY SCHOOL – MOUNT OF OLIVES COLLEGE is a video that offers a visual glimpse into the student life and extracurricular activities at Mount of Olives College Kakiri.
