Pastoral Support

Effective, nurturing and supportive pastoral support systems in school are a vital component in ensuring that students have a positive outlook on school life and are able to flourish academically and personally.

When students are admitted to the school, they are assigned to a Form Tutor and House group. Students usually stay in the same House group as they progress through the school, with the same Form Tutor where possible.

Form Tutor:

The Form Tutor is the first port of call for parents when any concerns arise. They will know your child very well and will have built up a strong working relationship with them. The Form Tutor will pass any concerns to the Director of Learning where required.

Year Organisation:

In charge of the students of each year is a Director of Learning, together with a link member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), whose responsibilities include oversight of attendance, progress, welfare, discipline, co-ordination of tutorial activities, maintaining close links with parents and outside agencies.

Personal Development:

All students have 2.5 hours per week of Personal Development lessons. The programme includes health education, strategies for coping with anxiety, the skills necessary for making successful relationships and the use of leisure time, with particular reference to local facilities. There is also a strong emphasis on study skills throughout the year. This helps to lay important foundations for future years, particularly in helping students to organise their time, so that they can deal effectively with the variety of demands that are made of them both in and out of school.

The Personal Development course continues throughout the student’s years in the school, with the emphasis changing to meet the changing age-related needs of the students.

Additional Support:

The school has additional support workers to help with the diverse needs of the school community. When required we will refer students to these workers to help them overcome the barriers they face.

Health Care

Students who feel ill or have an accident should inform the teacher in charge of them at the time. If they are not in class they should report to Student Services.  In minor cases, simple first-aid measures may be applied.  However, it must be stressed that medication of any kind cannot be administered by reception or teaching staff.  If it is felt necessary, parents will be contacted and asked to take a child home or accompany him or her to hospital for treatment.