Health and Wellbeing
Andy has worked with young people in many settings. He was previously an outdoor instructor, teaching a number of activities including sailing, climbing and teamwork to young people. This provided an excellent method for building resilience and overcoming wellbeing issues, alongside additional support. After this Andy worked within two residential colleges for students aged 16 plus, as a pastoral warden, overseeing the wellbeing, support and behaviour of students. He then moved to the Dover area and worked at Kent County Council (KCC), encouraging and motivating students in education, before working with students struggling in school to attain education, employment or training, to ensure their futures. Andy then moved to working with families to ensure school attendance, as an Education Welfare officer, before working at Dover Christ Church Academy where he was the Director of Student Welfare. During his time there he built a successful team of staff that were able to look after every aspect of the student from safeguarding through to behaviour and wellbeing.
His aims at The Duke of York’s Royal Military school include building on the good practice of the staff to ensure student needs are fully met, linking the school to the community and ensuring students receive a well-rounded and holistic education to provide them with the ability and resilience to enter and thrive in the world of adulthood, whilst taking the best Dukie qualities with them.
The School has a depth and breadth of skills and knowledge when it comes to welfare and safeguarding, which is utilized and shared across the boarding houses, by the house teams led by Andy, to support our students. The staff of the Medical Centre, SENCo department and our RSM also take a keen interest in the wellbeing of our students and offer a high level of support. In addition, Andy works closely with partnership agencies from the Kent area to ensure the correct approach is always taken for our students.
Mr Andy Agar
Head of Student Welfare and Designated Safeguarding Lead
The Safeguarding Team consists of: Mr Andy Agar - Designated Safeguarding Lead, Fiona Dunn - Deputy Safeguarding Lead, Mr Alex Foreman - Principal, Mrs Emma Dixon - Vice Principal, Mr Ed Pallant - Vice Principal, Mr Jolyon Marsh - Assistant Principal, Mrs Avril Saunderson - SENCo, and Miss Kate Stone - Medical Centre Lead, with administrative support provided by Miss Holly Mullins. The team aims to educate and empower students to make positive life choices and benefit from good physical and mental health. The team provides support through a number of ways, including individual therapy, wellbeing chats, helping our students to understand their emotions, teaching strategies to regulate them and developing habits of kindness, acceptance and tolerance towards everyone. Additionally, the team runs workshops throughout the year for all students, nurturing important life skills that will help them to navigate life as they progress from students to young adults and beyond.
Deputy DSL |
Wellbeing Therapist |
SENCo |
For Students
Reducing Exam Stress: Ideas for teachers and parents
For Parents
What not to do if a child is self-harming
Understanding self-harm and finding safer alternatives
If a young person is self-harming does it mean they are suicidal?
Depression - warning signs and when to worry
How to start a conversation about mental health when you're worried about a friend
4 ideas for supporting a child with anxiety
Box Breathing Technique - simple strategy to calm anxiety
Promoting positive body image - ideas for teachers and parents
Eating Disorders: I think my child has an eating disorder – what should I say?
Let's mean it when we ask "How are You?"
B-eat Website – Eating Disorders
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust website – Mental health and wellbeing
National Online Safety
The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children.
We are therefore delighted to announce that The Duke of York’s Royal Military School have shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online by working with National Online Safety- providing resources for all parents and carers.
Students, you will be receiving email updates regarding SaferInternetDay shortly; if you could make sure to give each of them a good read, they will be full of very useful information about Internet safety and the effect of the Internet, social media and our phones, on our lives today.