Inclusion & Wellbeing MENA 2022 - Dubai SOLD OUT - Wellbeing (Day 2)

Tuesday 17 May 2022 - Wednesday 18 May 2022
Crowne Plaza, Dubai

Lead and develop your whole school culture of inclusion and wellbeing to equip both students and staff to grow and flourish

#oeMENA

Join us on Wednesday 18 May for our Wellbeing progamme at the Crowne Plaza Dubai.

Hear more about the wellbeing day from our Chair, Dr Gilda Scarfe in this short video:

Choose from nine practical seminar-style workshops designed to empower you and equip you with tools to: 

  • foster a culture and curriculum that prioritises wellbeing
  • identify signs of mental ill health
  • support each student and member of staff to recognise, prioritise and manage their own wellbeing.

Registration (08:00 - 08:45)

Welcome from Optimus Education (08:45)

Welcome from Sean Pavitt, Director of Inclusive Education Programs, KHDA (08:50)

Chair's Welcome (09:00)

Dr Gilda Scarfe, CEO and Founder, Positive Ed

Staff culture of wellbeing (09:10)

Build support networks that proactively model healthy worklife habits and recognise and react to signs of burn out and mental ill health among colleagues

Anna Nowak, Head of ALN secondary and EAL teacher, Compass International School Doha

Hear more about this session from Anna

Good practice in the recording and monitoring of safeguarding and wellbeing concerns (09:40)

Exploring the critical importance of effective record-keeping and how it can assist in the identification of trends to enable early intervention. The session will draw on the lessons that have been learned from the past and considers examples of good practice across the education sector.

Mike Glanville, Chief Safeguarding Officer, The Safeguarding Company

Building mental wellbeing and flourishing beyond the classroom (10:10)

Input followed by sharing of strategies and interventions that have supported pupil wellbeing

Dr Gilda Scarfe, CEO and Founder, Positive Ed

Questions and Answers (10:30)


Morning refreshments, networking and exhibition (10:40 - 11:15)


Workshop choices (11:15 - 12:05)

1A. Wellbeing Curriculum

Evaluate the impact of your wellbeing programme and interventions and take a proactive approach to promoting good mental health

Ambika Gulati, Principal, The Millennium School, Dubai

1B. Staff team wellbeing

Reduce workload and gain life hacks for wellbeing to support a culture of wellbeing for your whole staff team

Mark Swaine, IB Educator & Chairperson of Staff Wellbeing Committee at Swiss International Scientific School Dubai

Hear more about this workshop from Mark

1C. Student wellbeing - the missing piece of the data jigsaw

When attainment is not meeting expectations, wellbeing could be the key

Rachel Rogers, International Manager, GL Education


Lunch, networking and exhibition (12:05 - 13:05)


Wellbeing curriculum and culture (13:05)

Adrian Bethune, Founder, Teachappy

Hear from Adrian about his upcoming keynote on wellbeing curriculum and culture.

Positive Education: A toolkit to equip and empower every student to flourish (13:35)

Dr Gilda Scarfe, CEO and Founder, Positive Ed

Questions and answers (14:15)


Workshop choices (14:25 - 15:15)

2A. Strengths-based resilience

Equip your pupils with skills to flourish in challenging circumstances, learn from their mistakes and adopt a growth mindset

Dr Gilda Scarfe, CEO and Founder, Positive Ed

2B. Personal growth

Look after your own wellbeing, professional and personal development, and identify areas for growth

Anna Nowak, Head of ALN secondary and EAL teacher, Compass International School Doha

Hear more about this workshop from Anna

2C. Spotlight on Adolescence

Understand the challenges faced by adolescents in international schools and gain tools to increase self-awareness and self-regulation

Kathy Swords, School Counsellor, British School Muscat


Afternoon refreshments, networking and exhibition (15:15 - 15:40)


Workshop choices (15:40 - 16:30)

3A. Mindfulness

Develop a culture and curriculum of mindfulness that equips every student with tools to recognise and regulate their emotions

Julia Knight, Principal of Kindergarten, Eton House Bahrain

3B. Recognise the signs 

Gain tools to proactively identify mental ill health and handle crisis situations with confidence

Dr Daniela Salazar, Clinical Psychologist, Lighthouse Arabia

3C. Spotlight on Anxiety

Recognise indicators of anxiety and gain tools to equip students to manage challenging situations including exam stress and panic attacks

Dr Gilda Scarfe, CEO and Founder, Positive Ed


The Safeguarding Company invite you to a workshop on best practice recording and montioring safeguarding concerns (16:30)

Making the Most of MyConcern

In this workshop, International Business Development Manager, Martha Baker, will explore how to use the safeguarding solution MyConcern to best record and manage safeguarding and wellbeing concerns in your organisation. MyConcern is being used by schools in over 40 different countries to record and monitor wellbeing and safeguarding concerns about their students.