Caring for your child

Ben Coombes gives an insight into pastoral care so you can be confident that your child is being looked after

From your child’s very first day at school at whatever age, his/her health, happiness, safety and welfare will be your prime concern. Academically there may be good or bad weeks, months or terms, but if your child feels valued and secure, he/she will come through them. The strength of the pastoral care within the school you choose is paramount to your child’s success and well-being.
By the nature of independent education there are many different approaches to providing the highest standards of care. Each school develops its own approach and ethos. Those that do it successfully include all the adults, from academic staff to domestic and grounds staff.

All will have the opportunity to provide input, whether it be noting that your child is sitting alone at lunch and not eating much or noticing a child in the grounds at playtime who seems to be alone and reporting it to the appropriate person.

Usually in a preparatory school your child will be allocated a house or group, a form, and, in some schools, a tutor, although often this member of staff is also the form teacher. A house or group will provide the community for the competitive events such as the reward/sanction system, as well as interhouse sporting, music or cultural events. In nursery, pre-prep (reception to Year 2) and commonly in Years 3 and 4, as well as sometimes in Years 5 to 8, the form teacher will take on pastoral responsibility for your child. They will be your first port of call and should have their finger on the pulse with regard to your child’s welfare. In some schools another level of care is provided by a tutor system. A school, will choose a personal tutor for your child, often in Year 6, who might share an interest or get along particularly well with your child. Although, as you can imagine, this is sometimes difficult to manage. The tutor will then become responsible for your child’s well-being and, often, academic progress as well.

The levels of care that are in place reflect strongly how much importance independent schools place on pastoral care.
In most schools, depending upon the numbers on the roll, all form teachers and tutors will be answerable to a senior master/mistress or deputy head (pastoral), whose role it is to coordinate the whole process. This member of staff is then answerable to the head where ultimate responsibility lies.

Alongside everyday pastoral care, most schools provide a comprehensive academic timetable incorporating personal, health, social, citizenship education, which is often shortened (thankfully!) to PSHE, PSE, PSHCE, or something similar. These are lessons where areas such as community living, unkindness, target setting, appreciating differences and the like are covered. Included in these lessons are such topics as smoking, drinking, drugs and sex education. All preparatory schools will hold very firm lines on such issues, and most provide a comprehensive policy that undertakes to educate the children in these areas. Often this is achieved through dealing with the concepts of peer pressure and making one’s own choices. Many schools will provide education with the help of external specialists in these areas. Sex education is often tackled on two fronts: firstly in science lessons and then also in the aforementioned PSHE lessons when a school nurse is often involved.

The standards of care that are in place in preparatory schools on all levels reflect the importance schools place on your child’s welfare. As you tour schools and make your choices, do spend time asking about what support is in place and how the pastoral care system operates, as well as discovering who your first port of call will be. You and your child will of course be dealing closely with the staff, so do ask about and look out for the staff when you visit. Knowing that you have chosen a school that works hard to ensure your child’s happiness in addition to his or her academic, sporting, musical or cultural success will allow you to sleep well at night confident that you have provided the best start you can for your child.

Ben Coombes is PSHE Coordinator for IAPS

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