Cambridge School of Bucharest shortlisted for international Tes Award recognising student-led mental health innovation
Cambridge School of Bucharest (CSB) has been shortlisted for the Student Mental Health Initiative of the Year category in the Tes Awards for International Schools 2025, becoming the only school in Romania to appear on this year’s…
Cambridge School of Bucharest (CSB) has been shortlisted for the Student Mental Health Initiative of the Year category in the Tes Awards for International Schools 2025, becoming the only school in Romania to appear on this year’s shortlist. The nomination recognises CSB’s pioneering, student-led approach to promoting well-being across the Secondary School and reflects the school’s ongoing commitment to empowering students to take an active role in shaping their own educational experience.
This year’s recognition highlights the work of CSB’s Key Stage 4 and 5 Business and Economics students and teachers, who over the past two years have designed, developed, and implemented the Wellness Wave Index—an innovative, data-driven tool that measures and analyses trends in student well-being. The index provides senior leaders with detailed, term-by-term insights into students’ lived experiences, placing young people not only at the centre of assessment but at the centre of strategic decision-making.
Each term, students present their findings directly to the senior leadership team, offering clear, evidence-based recommendations. Their insights have resulted in targeted enhancements across the Secondary School, including strengthened peer-to-peer tutoring, greater focus on study techniques and time management, and increased parental engagement. Through continuous data collection and analysis, the project has also demonstrated a direct correlation between improved student well-being and stronger academic performance, reinforcing the broader impact of the initiative.
This year’s shortlisted cohort features six current students and two recent alumni whose contributions helped shape the initiative from its early stages. Iris, Arina, and Alexandra in Year 12; Iulia and Andreea in Year 13; and alumni Tudor (now in his first year at Bocconi University) and Tania (now in her first year at the London School of Economics) each played a significant role in the development, refinement, and presentation of the Wellness Wave Index. Their analytical commitment and collaborative ethos were central to CSB’s selection for the award.
Both of CSB’s Tes-shortlisted initiatives originated in the school’s Economics enrichment and competition-preparation work led by Ms Alexandra Dache, Head of Social Sciences and IB Coordinator, where students applied real-world economic methodology—such as constructing and weighting indicators—to meaningful issues in their own community. When exploring how global indicators such as the Human Development Index (HDI) are constructed, students were encouraged to consider how similar frameworks could be applied to areas relevant to their own experience, such as mental health and well-being. From this academic foundation, students initiated the literature review, refined the survey questions, and developed the weighting system that has ensured the index remains reliable and consistent over time.
