Welham Girls’ School sits comfortably in the peaceful foothills of Dehradun and has a long-standing reputation as one of the leading all-girls boarding schools in India. Founded in 1957 by Hersilia Susie Oliphant, Welham has always emphasised academic achievement, holistic development, and character development for young women.

For parents who are considering Welham for their daughters, it is almost inevitable that the question emerges: How safe is the boarding experience at Welham? This article seeks to expand on Welham’s safety and security measures, the pastoral support offered, and the care and nurture that provide a safe and welcoming home to Welham students.

A Legacy of Care and Community

Welham Girls’ School is not just about education, it’s about developing a place where girls become confident, compassionate and responsible. Welham Girls’ School uses the motto, Artha Shanti Phala Vidya, “The aim of education is to bring about peace”, to embody its mission to see the girls grow socially, emotionally and intellectually. Welham has approximately 550 girls attending boarding school in grades VI to XII, thus creating a strong community in which every student feels valued and cared for.

The approach to safety and pastoral care stems from the understanding that boarding is a significant transformation for girls. Leaving family, adapting to a regimented schedule and developing friendships is hard, and Welham has a plan for easing these transitions that involves the well-being of emotional and social health as well as physical safety so that all students can flourish.

Physical Safety: A Safe Campus

Welham doesn’t take physical safety lightly. It occupies 19 Municipal Road, Dalanwala, Dehradun, and thus security is paramount to planning. Here’s what it looks like:

Around-the-Clock Security Surveillance

Welham’s campus utilises 24-hour security surveillance with CCTV throughout the campus, which monitors essential areas all day, every day. The campus has personnel visible walking around in public spaces. Personnel watch all entry and exits to the campus. Access to hostel buildings is strictly controlled, issuing tags only to people who are authorised to enter those buildings, giving parents assurance that their daughters are in a safe environment.

Emergency Preparedness

Welham has processes in place to ensure that it adheres to emergency preparedness protocol. Fire drills, evacuations, and safety workshops occur regularly to have both students and staff prepared for the unexpected. Protocols assist in maintaining calmness and ensure risks are at a minimal level in the rare possibility of an emergency.

Safe and Comfortable Dormitories

Welham’s boarding facilities are designed for a home-like atmosphere. The school has ten well-appointed dormitories divided into five houses named after local bird species – Oriole, Woodpecker, Hoopoe, Bulbul, and Flycatcher. Creating a house environment provides students with a community and belonging, as each house is cared for by a housemistress and matron who are committed to the students’ care at all hours. The girls’ hostels are separated for junior and senior ages as well to ensure students are cared for adequately. The dormitories have ample space, natural light and comfortable spaces; students can include photos or blankets from home on their beds to help their transition.

Health and Wellness Facilities

Health is a focus of safety at Welham. The school has an infirmary staffed with a resident doctor and with qualified nurses, available for 24/7 medical assistance. There are periodic health check-ups to monitor physical health, and all admission students must also provide a medical certificate of fitness to ensure students are healthy enough for boarding. If students do fall sick, the infirmary assists with acute care, while keeping parents or guardians informed. The school also has medical ties with local hospitals for higher aid needs.

Nutritious Food

Having a balanced diet is important to growing girls, and Welham takes this very seriously. Students are offered a delicious variety of nutritious, well-planned meals at the school’s dining hall. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options are available, but pork and beef are not served. Daily provisions for fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk are provided, and medically required diets are provided with prior approval from school authorities. Teachers supervise the daughters’ meals, but they eat alongside the girls, helping to foster a sense of community and ensuring they are supervised as to the quality and hygiene of meals.

Pastoral Care: Supporting emotional and social needs

Welham does more than just provide physical safety for students by making sure their emotional and social needs are taken care of as part of pastoral care. Boarding can be an emotional ride, particularly for younger girls who may be away from home for the first time. The placement of pastoral care is a conscious strategy to create a supportive, inclusive environment where every student can feel heard, valued, safe, and cared for.

Committed Housemistresses and Matrons

Each house has a housemistress and matron who take on semi-parental roles. These staff have training for emotional support, assisting with the ups and downs of being a teenager, and facilitating belonging. They are on-call and available every day, all day. Therefore, if a girl is feeling homesick, having difficulty with school, or having issues with friends, she will have someone to talk to – day or night. The housemistress and matron set-up is a key part of Welham’s pastoral care, and fosters a family feel to house life.

Counselling and Mental Health

Welham recognises that mental health is just as important, possibly more important, than physical health; therefore, it offers counselling services/interventions to address students’ emotional health. Professional counsellors work with girls around adolescent challenges, academic expectations, and personal issues. Welham also has a culture of peer support around strong, trusting relationships; this is demonstrated through house activities and by also working together on the team’s tasks/activities, or competitions with other houses to build connections.

Pertained yet balanced  routine

Welham’s daily schedule is intentionally orchestrated to ensure a clear balance between academic work, extracurriculars, and time to relax. The mornings are reserved for class, afternoons for sports, arts, or other agenda-driven events, as well as time for quiet hours and study halls to develop academic works, and free time to unwind and socialise. By managing this structure, girls can develop the skill of time management and relax by designing a balanced daily experience. The plan allows for a certain organisation of time juxtaposed with the desire for a flexible process of personal development.

Physical Development

This planned schedule supports girls to develop valuable time management skills and a healthy balance of work and play. The school calendar encourages students to balance their coursework while engaging in their chosen leisure activity, which could be basketball, hockey, swimming, badminton, table tennis, karate, and/or yoga. For students with a mind for creative pursuits, Welham offers those students opportunities in Kathak, Bharatnatyam, music, dramatics, and visual arts.

Extra-curricular Activities

Routine also includes “quiet hours’ for focused study, in an effort to help students develop an academic discipline. However, the school acknowledges the need for downtime and encourages students to make usable space in the dorm by having personal photos, blankets, or whatever else from home to improve feelings of comfort. This level of rigour and individualised choice in organised activities allows for disciplined, productive and enjoyable boarding.

Health and Wellness: A Holistic Perspective

Welham adopts a holistic perspective towards student well-being. Both the social, emotional, and mental aspects of well-being are addressed at the academic level. The school infirmary and all health services are run by a qualified doctor and three qualified nurses. Medical care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Regular health assessments are made to maintain student well-being. A medical certificate is required of all new entrants to the school in order to assess their readiness for boarding life.

Safe Haven: Student Safety

At Welham Girls’ School, student safety is a prime necessity. The school adopts multiple security measures (guard personnel, security staff, CCTV) in order to provide a safe environment for all students. Washrooms in schools are coded, and entry points are strictly monitored to provide individual safety and security. The campus safety and vigilance allow parents to feel reassured that their daughters are safe and have adequate supervision.

What Makes Welham Special

The standout aspects of Welham Girls’ School are not limited to academia and success. The passion and dedication to safety and pastoral care are clear and unwavering throughout the entire organisation. This is particularly noticeable with a healthy mix of solid and strong security measures, a supportive and encouraging house system, comprehensive health and wellbeing programmes, and a clear focus on development.

This environment allows girls to explore the world with confidence. Furthermore, Welham focuses on the community and leadership opportunities, as well as international and global citizenship, which ensures that every student leaves with far more than a report card. In order to positively impact the world, you need a positive attitude, education, and values, which Welham Girls’ School helps to develop in all their students.

Conclusion

For parents looking at Welham as an option for their daughters, the answer to “How safe is boarding life?” is obvious: the girls not only have a safe, supportive and functional school that encourages growth, they also have a safe and supportive boarding experience.

From the start, with security protocols in place, to fit guiding members looking after pastoral care, they have thought of everything to ensure the students feel safe, recognised, and empowered. Programs include topical and international studies, engaged learning, and diverse opportunities to help in both local and global communities. Welham is one of the top boarding schools in India, and it continues to live up to its motto, Education Leads to Peace, Growth and Possibilities!

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