By Pastoral Care we mean the whole process of managing the personal, social and emotional development of students from age 11 when they join the college to the time they leave as young adults, bound for the world of work or further education. The college provides programmes of guidance and personal and social education, and for many students these are sufficient to help them through this potentially stressful period of adolescence. Others require more specific support to help them deal with the needs and problems originating either inside or out of college. Pastoral care also involves issues related to behaviour and discipline.
Pastoral care is arranged through a House System consisting of three Houses.
Each House contains approximately 220 students and is led by a Head of House with a team of form tutors. Each student will be placed in a tutor group of approximately 20 students of the same age, under the care of a form tutor. In general students stay in the same tutor group, with the same form tutor up to Year 11.
The form tutor will see students every morning and is best placed to build up close relationships with the students in their care. Many day-to-day difficulties can simply be solved through students talking to their form tutor. The Head of House has overall responsibility for all the students in their House and for the work of the team of form tutors. Heads of House are likely to play a major role in dealing with more serious problems.
The strength of the pastoral system lies in the way it breaks a large college up into three smaller units and provides the opportunity for parents to establish close relationships with the teachers who have major responsibility for the welfare or their children. Assigned to each year group is a College Support Assistant. Their role complements that of the Head of House. They will work with students and parents; monitoring behaviour, achievement and building the strong home/college relationships which will help every child achieve their potential.