Many aspects of school life involve tending to the mental and physical welfare of students. At Stainburn we have established an excellent Pastoral Care system, where safeguarding of all students is of paramount importance and which provides opportunities for the guidance of pupils’ learning and personal development. A less robust system would not have seen us deal so successfully with the challenges afforded to us by the weather!
The backbone to the Pastoral Care is the Vertical Tutoring system. The school is divided into three colleges – Challenge, Discovery and Endeavour. Each College is made up of thirteen Tutor Groups, of about twenty students. All Vertical Tutor Groups are a mixture of ages from years 7 to 11 and have two members of staff who are tutors. Such a mixture is a much better reflection of society, than forms organised in age groups, as it supports academic intervention strategies, offering a much more holistic approach.
In addition to all the activities which go on in tutor time each day (see the link to Colleges) there are plenty of opportunities for 1:1 guidance and counselling on personal concerns, academic matters, career paths and social issues.
We believe youngsters can learn really well from each other and have fostered an excellent peer mentoring programme. So some students have a well trained Peer Mentor and those who need a bit more support or guidance can talk to one of our three Learning Mentors, either 1:1 or in a small group. There is always someone who will listen and offer advice and maybe a bit of restorative practice – even over tea and toast at breakfast club!
What the staff say:
- “Older pupils are great with the younger ones.”
- “I really spent some quality time with my year 8s today – I couldn’t have done that with 24 of them!”
What the Parents say:
- “We are really happy with the way he has settled in. The older ones always show the younger ones what to do and where to go!”
- “ The Vertical Tutoring is having a positive effect on my son as he seems to be more grown up and wants to learn more!”
What the Students say:
- “I really enjoyed meeting my tutor group at the team building day at the end of year 6.”
-“Wake n’ Shake is best – especially if you have an exam that day!”
-“I feel part of a team.”
-“I was so grateful for that free soup every morning during the floods.”
-“There’s always someone to talk to when you need help – you don’t have to look far and often you have a choice of people eager to help.”
-“My problem was dealt with quickly, quietly and confidentially.”
