#AD – This is a collaborative post
Parents hear about pastoral care within schools quite regularly; it’s all about nurturing every child’s personal and social development by providing a positive environment for learning and growing. While parents can recognise why this is an important element of school life, they might not know that it directly correlates with how the students perform throughout their learning journey. After all, if a child’s wellbeing is affected in some way, they will struggle to reach their full potential in an academic sense. I have teamed up with a private prep school in Hampstead to explore further.
Quality pastoral care within a school helps students develop the self-esteem they require to take healthy risks, establish and achieve goals and build strong relationship with their peers. It engages all members of the school community so that no child feels neglected and no issues are left unrecognised. You may have noticed some similarities between pastoral care and parenting, although the former is a little more complex. There are usually lots of policies and procedures in place to ensure the pastoral department are successful in achieving their goals.
One of the main pastoral carers within a school is their form tutor, who your child will see at least once a day. The form tutor is able to keep an eye on their students and can report any concerns to parents. If there are any big changes happening at home, such as marriage, divorce, moving house, a death in the family etc, you should inform your child’s form tutor so that they ensure your child is coping well and talk to them if they are not.
Once your child’s time at their school comes to an end, they should be able to instinctively care for themselves and their peers; a skill they will be able to carry into the next chapter of their life. Of course, all pastoral departments within different schools will have their own methods with regards to keeping their students safe and happy and sending them into the world with the correct mindset and abilities, but ultimately, they will help your child reach their full potential.
If you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing, or any of the comings and goings at the school, don’t be afraid to contact their teachers and talk it through. At the end of the day, both you and the school have an obligation to your child to keep them safe and ensure they grow up to be happy and healthy individuals.