Pastoral Excellence

We provide Pastoral Excellence, with the house system at the heart of pastoral care, generating the small group identity that strengthens a sense of security, belonging and well-being, and allowing boys to contribute meaningfully to house as well as school activities. This system also aims to focus on each boy’s progress and ambitions (encouraging all to contribute to the school and house communities) and to foster mutual tolerance and respect through appropriate rewards and sanctions.

Objectives

• Ensure the personal and social well-being of each boy by addressing issues of physical and emotional health and development, safety, behaviour, and moral and social education.
• Guide each boy’s progress and ambitions in academic study and co-curricular activity.
• Encourage each boy to contribute positively to the school, and his house and the wider community.
• Manage behaviour, encouraging tolerance and respect through rewards and sanctions.
• Protect each boy but still challenge him.

Actions

1. Developing the roles of housemasters and house pastoral teams through regular review and professional development to ensure consistency of outcomes and continuity of care.
2. Committing to the provision of a full but flexible boarding education in a predominantly boarding school, and ensuring that the needs of boarders and day boys are equally well served.
3. Maintaining and upgrading the physical condition of the houses to a standard that competes with the best of other similar schools.
4. Ensuring that the interests of overseas boarders are appropriately protected and promoted, that the views of boys are considered in the management of houses, and that parents are involved in the pastoral care of their sons.
5. Providing appropriate support structures for boys, including a caring and efficient medical service, a School Counsellor and Chaplains (who also support the whole school community), and a Welfare Group that shares information on those pupils requiring specific support and helps housemasters to write welfare plans for those with particular difficulties.
6. Having robust child protection, anti-bullying and health and safety policies and cultures, and responding appropriately (through SMT and Governor monitoring) to all external legislation and guidelines, including the National Minimum Boarding Standards, the Every Child Matters agenda, and Safer Recruitment procedures.
7. Ensuring an effective PSHE programme to promote a healthy, fulfilled and responsible lifestyle and to strengthen emotional intelligence, and developing the student voice agenda on school as well as house issues.