Pastoral Support System

Introduction

At The Royal High School we believe that pastoral care has a central role to play in the personal, social and academic development of each individual girl. We recognise the pressures, uncertainties and challenges which young women face as they grow from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

Our role is firstly to support our pupils at this vital and formative stage in their lives; secondly, we want to encourage them to take responsibility for their own actions and lives and to develop an awareness of their community, the wider society and the role that they can play within it. We hope that when pupils leave the Royal High School they will have the confidence, self esteem and sense of moral purpose which will enable them to meet every challenge which life may bring without either arrogance, or self doubt.

The Pastoral Support System

Our pastoral support system is designed such that girls have a sense of belonging and feel secure.

Each girl belongs to a Tutor Group which is co-ordinated by a specific member of staff who acts as Form Tutor.

The Tutor Group provides an opportunity for the development of good personal, social and academic habits. In this context the Tutor will seek to promote the key values of friendship, loyalty and tolerance as well as developing the essential personal skills of time management and organisation. This process is supported by all teachers in the context of the curriculum, and through the carefully devised PSHE programme.

Through twice daily meetings Tutors develop a rapport with the pupils in their care. We emphasise the importance of ‘listening’ to pupils, as we believe that through listening a relationship based on trust and confidence can develop between staff and pupils.

In Years 7 to 9 our pupils are placed in four tutor groups. In Years 10 & 11 (the GCSE years), this increases to five groups. This reflects the greater support needs of our pupils in those years and allows us to provide an experienced team of tutors who have time to mentor individuals. Pupils in these years also benefit from a carousel of sessions on PSHE topics, careers education and fitness guidance.

The work of our Tutors is co-ordinated by Heads of Year and their Assistants who have responsibility for managing the pastoral routine, dealing with any causes for concern and liaising with parents, guardians or Housemistresses. Some of our sixth form students are Pastoral Leaders who provide an invaluable support for the tutorial teams, helping with daily activities, providing a sounding board for the younger pupils and bringing a more mature perspective to discussion.

The Deputy Head, in turn, oversees the smooth running of the pastoral system, and both she and The Head are always willing to discuss any queries or concerns with girls or their parents.

The sense of belonging which we seek to engender through the tutorial system is also reinforced by House membership, which provides pupils with opportunities to mix across year groups, to engage in friendly inter-house competition and, for those in Years 10 & 11, to develop leadership skills of organisation, persuasion and inspiration.

Pupils in Years 10 &11 have Common Rooms which are designed to encourage friendships outside and across classes.

As pupils progress through the school, they are encouraged to support and give their mind to charity events and links with the wider community. We are proud of the enthusiasm shown for fund-raising efforts and the commitment to community programmes such as our support for our link school, The Crane Academy, in Kenya.

A Partnership With Parents

An essential feature of our pastoral system is developing a partnership with our parents in order to share concerns and values. In addition to our normal academic parents’ evenings we have pastoral parents’ evenings for specific year groups in the Autumn Term. And one for year 9 parents in the Summer Term.

Whilst we communicate formally with parents through profiles and reports, the ‘Planner’ which each girl carries with her is designed in order that Tutors and parents can exchange information on a daily basis.

We respond to any parental concern or query as soon as possible, and we are pleased to arrange appointments at any time in the term for parents to discuss concerns with the Head of Year, Deputy Head or Headmaster as appropriate.

 

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