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In partnership with Words Matter, Wellington College has launched a new resource for teachers which supports student wellbeing, belonging and learning in the classroom. It is part of a school-wide Words Matter initiative to embed communication strategies that help young people thrive.
This pioneering work, developed at Wellington, is now being rolled out to support teachers in schools across the country and has influenced the Department for Education draft guidelines.
The resource Words Matter: A practical guide for communicating with children in any classroom so that they flourish, has been developed by Dr Fiona Pienaar, child and adolescent health specialist, and Delyth Lynch, Director of Safeguarding at Wellington College.
Delyth Lynch, Director of Safeguarding says: “At Wellington College, we believe that the words we choose shape the culture we create. The Words Matter initiative aligns perfectly with our safeguarding ethos and our commitment to kindness, respect and integrity”
Words Matter is an evidence-based charity set up to improve children’s mental and physical health by ending the verbal abuse of children by adults. Warm, encouraging words are the building blocks that young people need to thrive but, according to the charity, two in five children (41%) in the UK experience harmful verbal abuse by adults. While this is often unintentional and a result of stressful lives, with greater support adults can build more nurturing, respectful relationships with the children in their lives. The Department for Education’s 2026 draft update of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ now explicitly recognises verbal abuse for the first time as a result of Words Matter’s work and Delyth’s support.
Encompassing teacher training, pupil and parent activities, the work was launched by Words Matter founder Jessica Bondy, and Delyth this academic year, starting with a student survey. Pupils at the College and Wellington College Prep were asked how they want adults to talk to them. One theme that emerged from the findings, which were generally very positive, was that pupils wanted adults to stop assuming that they weren’t trying and instead to take a more curious, flexible approach in certain scenarios, like when they were having issues with homework deadlines.
Wellington staff are now using the Words Matter resource to inform their day-to-day interactions with students. They are encouraged to approach challenging moments with curiosity rather than judgment, helping to reduce shame and anxiety which can act as barriers to learning. The guide also highlights the importance of proactive, everyday interactions – like greeting students by name, acknowledging effort, and showing interest – that support children’s engagement and growth.
Words Matter bracelets in the school’s colours have also been created to help promote the initiative within the community and teachers are wearing badges in the prep school.
Words Matter founder, Jessica Bondy says: “Words from adults have a powerful impact on how children see themselves, their abilities, and their place in the world. It has been a privilege to collaborate with such a pioneering school to embed our work fully. We are rolling the programme out at other schools and I’m looking forward to sharing our feedback at Ed Fest in July”
In another milestone for Words Matter, young people aged 14 – 26 have called for urgent political and public health action to end childhood verbal abuse by adults in a first-of-its-kind essay just published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The essay describes how harsh language from adults can become “an inner voice that did not begin as our own.”
Already at Wellington, staff are reporting having a greater awareness of language around pupils and are proactively seeking advice on how to deal with particular scenarios. The next step is to speak to pupils about the impact their words have on each other. As the first year of the programme draws to a close, pupils will be surveyed again to see if they report any changes in their everyday exchanges with adults at school.
For anyone who would like to find out more, Words Matter has created an evidence- based free online course about how to communicate with children so they thrive. Featuring numerous experts and helpful guidance, it can be accessed through Future Learn
