Care and Guidance

Pupils

Who can I speak to if I have a concern?

  • Form tutor
  • Peer mentor
  • Peer mediator
  • Head of Year
  • Mrs Quinney - Pastoral Support Officer
  • Mr. King - Pastoral Support Officer
  • Miss Avill - Pastoral Support Officer
  • Assistant Year Leaders
  • School nurse
  • Class teacher
  • Outside agencies (including Malachi, Solar, Dare2Dream and STR8UP)
  • Form captains
  • Student council representatives

When do I have the opportunity to discuss any issues that concern me?

Form period

The form tutor is a regular point of contact, seeing the pupils twice a day. There are 2-3 sessions a week where this contact is extended form period. This is an ideal time to discuss issues with someone that you trust.

Before or after school

School life is always busy and sometimes the best time to talk in a calm environment without the risk of being disturbed is before or after school

Break or lunchtime

Pastoral staff will always try and make themselves available but please appreciate these are often the busiest times in the Key Stage Offices.

Tutorial Worship

Every week tutors complete a session of Tutorial Worship. This can range from a class discussion on prominent issues extending from an assembly that has been held to a period of reflection, encouraging personal thought. It can be a discussion on current affairs or a debate on a pertinent issue. There are a whole range of topics that are covered in Tutorial Worship and it is a great time to discuss issues that arise.

Peer mediation session

Every so often people have disagreements. Teachers are sometimes not the best people to sort these disagreements out. We have trained a group of pupils to act as Peer Mediators to help resolve potential difficult situations. Please speak to your Head of Year if you think this will be effective.

Peer mentoring session

Most people have a role model in life, a positive role model is essential. Sometimes issues are best discussed with an older pupil rather than an adult. We have a trusted group of older pupils that can act as mentors to our younger pupils if a need arises.

Assemblies

These are formal occasions where a pertinent message is delivered. They are ideal situations for an important aspect of school life to be discussed to a large audience in one sitting.

Parents

Who can I speak to if I have a concern?

Class Teacher

The role of the Classroom teacher is to provide support and guidance around the learning in their classes. Any issues regarding the learning or homework can be directed towards the class teacher directly.

Head of Department

The role of the Head of Department is to ensure consistency across department areas. The Head of Department becomes involved in situations where a resolution cannot be found directly with the class room teacher.

Form Tutor

The role of the Form Tutor is to provide the first layer of pastoral care to our pupils. The Form Tutor sees their form group twice daily and is the first point of contact for issues to do with school that are not directly related to individual subjects. Concerns that pupils may be experiencing difficulties across a variety of curriculum areas or friendship issues are the types of issue that should be drawn to the attention of the Form Tutor.

Head of Year

The role of the Head of Year is to oversee the welfare and performance of all pupils in the year group. This demanding role involves much work with individual pupils and work across subject staff and form tutors to ensure a good knowledge of all pupils. Contact with the Head of Year should be used to resolve issues or raise concerns that cannot be dealt with at form tutor level. In addition to this information of a sensitive nature that may affect the child can be raised at Head of Year level.

Head of Key Stage 

Our Heads of Key Stage work closely with the Heads of Year, Director of Learning Support and Deputy Head Teacher(Pastoral Care). The Heads of Key Stage should be contacted where an issue cannot be dealt with by Head of Year. This is a rare occasion; often the Head of Key Stage will become involved where issues are of a serious and/or persistent nature.

Deputy Head Teacher

A Senior teacher can be contacted once all alternative points of contact have been exhausted. It is normal practice that any involvement with the Deputy Head Teacher Inclusion will occur through discussion with Heads of Key Stage.