PASTORAL CARE OF STUDENTS

A fundamental characteristic of Stratford upon Avon Grammar School for Girls is the caring attitude extended to all students, both on a corporate and individual basis. A priority aim is to prepare all students for the responsibilities and freedoms of adult life. Students are put in a position of trust and the sixth form experience aims to encourage the development of a mature, well organised, self-disciplined student. The importance of responsibilities and reliability are also instilled within the Personal, Social and Health Education programme (PSHE). Courtesy, reliability and punctuality are personal characteristics which are actively encouraged.

Each student is assigned to a tutor group comprising 15-20 students and she will remain in that group for two years. The group meets daily for registration and for the issuing of administrative notices. Three mornings a week there are longer tutorial sessions which give an opportunity to explore topics and issues at greater length.

Group tutors play an important role during the student's time in the sixth form: they are able to help and advise students on work, agreed targets for progress, future careers and to discuss a wide range of issues that concern the 16-19 age group. The tutorial system, including profiling, is an integral part of the pastoral care programme. Each tutor is responsible for monitoring individual students’ progress, but also acts as confidant and counsellor for more personal matters. A personal, social and vocational programme is organised by the tutorial team and professional advisers are invited to the school, eg the careers staff from Warwick, the police, the school nurse, a self-defence expert and various community workers.

Every positive encouragement is given to those with difficulties either with their work, domestic problems or with illness. The size of the school and the pleasant surroundings are both conducive to a happy “family” atmosphere. Overall pastoral care of the students is the responsibility of the Head and Deputy Head of Sixth Form who co-ordinate the overall curriculum programme with the other sixth form tutors.

Safeguarding

All staff and governors recognise their role in protecting our pupils from harm, and believe that our school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment which promotes the social, physical and moral development of each individual pupil. We have a Child Protection Policy - and procedures which follow Warwickshire guidelines. The Designated Senior Person for Child Protection within the school is the Headteacher, Ms K J Barnett.

Under the Education Act 2002 (Section 175), schools must make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Parent/carers should know that the law (Children Act 2006) requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer, and where possible, seek their consent to a referral to Social Care. This will only be done where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm. Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the designated person for child protection was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Monitoring, Profiling and Progress Files

Care is taken to guide students towards courses that will be most beneficial to them based on data/reference evidence and as a consequence students have a high success rate on all courses. The Pre-Sixth Induction course held in June of Year 11 is designed to give guidance to students on making transition from GCSE. Elements include the organisation of time, research skills, study skills and other elements aimed at encouraging students to become independent learners. Students are given clear short term and long term targets to aim for during their reviews with tutors on a termly basis.

Each student is given a personal document file at the outset, in which to keep records of residential and fieldwork, extra-curricular activities, vocational work experience and other personal data related to the individual. With permission from the student, some of this information is used when compiling references for the universities and places of post-18 employment.

It is important that students take an active part in monitoring their own progress. Our Progress File appraisal system takes place once a term, providing students with regular reviews of their strengths and weaknesses and the opportunity to set targets to highlight where improvements could be made. Each review consists of consultations, firstly with the subject teachers to discuss and set mutually agreed targets and secondly an interview with the student’s Form/Personal tutor where overall progress can be discussed in the context of future aspirations.

Formal reports are produced annually and students and tutors keep interim appraisal sheets for reference during the year.

For each academic profiling, each student is given guidelines as to how to evaluate their own progress using pre-determined headings, and members of staff complete similar profiles, simultaneously. Staff and students then compare respective assessments, and agreed targets are set. The dialogue which ensues between academic staff, students and tutors allows an honest and free exchange of views and it is an opportunity for strengths and weaknesses to be commented on and for an assessment on the degree to which the transition from GCSE to A-level has taken place. These reports, together with information from continuous assessments and personal document files, are used to compile references for post-18 venues and for a summative document which is given to each student at the end of the second year in the Sixth Form.

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