The Thai school with a system-wide approach to student and teacher wellbeing and lifelong health
Amnuay Silpa School (ANS), an independent kindergarten/foundation, primary, and secondary school in Phayathai, Bangkok, Thailand, is prioritising lifelong wellbeing for its students and teachers through its Thinking School approach, which equips students with the knowledge, skills, and habits needed for lifelong health. After recognising the importance of connection and building stronger links within the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school shifted its learning model to embed social-emotional learning into its curriculum.
The Thinking School approach is built on respect, inclusivity and collaboration, giving students a learning experience focused on wellbeing, where they are actively represented in supportive social and physical environments. The curriculum includes team sports, yoga, swimming, dance, and fitness training, ensuring every student finds a form of exercise they enjoy. Because balanced nutrition plays a vital role in overall wellbeing, the school provides healthy meal options, with nutrition education integrated into science and health lessons. Mindfulness sessions, problem-solving exercises, and reflective practices help students develop emotional intelligence and resilience, and students play a key role in promoting wellbeing through projects like clean-up drives, awareness campaigns, and peer mentoring programmes. Regular parent workshops cover topics like mental health, digital safety, and healthy lifestyles, creating shared responsibility and commitment to wellbeing. The school’s investment in staff wellbeing has also paid off. When job openings are posted, there is a flood of interest, proof that when heart and minds are prioritised, everything flows from there.
Entrenching a culture of wellbeing has led to 80% of students feeling the school environment supports their learning and wellbeing, with 85% reporting that they now know what to do if they or a friend experience bullying. There has been a 20% increase in students accessing counselling services, and psychological wellbeing scores have improved from 65% to 80% over 12 months. Through structured policies and supportive processes, student enrolment has steadily increased, and staff retention has improved by 74%. 94% of parents believe the school environment supports student learning and wellbeing. Students are given numerous leadership opportunities across platforms where they can engage with peers from other schools, discuss culture, school life, and shared values, and grow their confidence.
The model’s success proves that wellbeing is not an individual effort, but rather a whole-school, system-wide commitment involving all stakeholders that is far-reaching, sustainable, and cyclical. By placing lifelong health at the heart of everything it does, the school is developing students who are respectful, grounded and ready to take on challenges beyond academics.
