What the Bristol Ideal Award is, what your school needs to do to achieve it and why we have the Bristol Ideal Award.
Improving safety and support for students, staff and families affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
About the Bristol Ideal Award
The Bristol Ideal Award is a set of standards for settings to follow to improve their approach to:
- domestic abuse
- sexual violence
- healthy relationships
The award represents a commitment to safeguarding staff, students and preventing unhealthy behaviours in the next generation.
There is an emphasis on participation, and we want children and young people to take a leading role in delivering the Bristol Ideal Award in their settings.
The award was revised in 2022, with new criteria and a streamlined application process.
To update the award, we consulted with children and young people's participation groups. Their views and priorities have informed the new criteria.
The award has been informed by recent legislation, including Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, Ofsted 2021 Report, Domestic Abuse Act, and the response to murders of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
The award criteria were also adapted with the 2021 Ofsted Report Guidance in mind.
What your school needs to do to achieve the award
You must make changes in your school to improve mental health and wellbeing. This could include:
- changes to the school's physical environment
- changes to the school's culture
- updating relevant policies
- making improvements to the curriculum
- investing in leadership and training
How long it takes
We recommend that you complete the application within one year, so that your answers stay up to date.
Online system
Use our online system to:
- see the award criteria and guidance
- tell us you're starting to work towards a specialist award
- send us evidence of your work
- track your progress
- submit your finished work
document Download the award criteria(383 KB) .
What the award covers
The award covers:
- leadership
- school culture
- school environment
- DA/SV services
- staff and student wellbeing
- safeguarding policies
- participation
Guidance and resources
To help you to plan your answers and access resources, use our document guidance document(383 KB) .
This will help you make sense of what we are asking for and signpost you to helpful documents.
For example, we might ask you to review your learning resources, in this case, we have included links to relevant websites.
After you achieve the award
Your school will:
- receive a Mental Health and Wellbeing Specialist Award Certificate
- be able to use award logos on your website or letterheads
- receive further support from the Bristol Healthy Schools Team