Pastoral

Pastoral Hub

We are keen to share with parents and guardians some of the daily pastoral work we are doing at King’s and have introduced the Pastoral Hub. 

The hub aims to provide you with an understanding of why we deliver some of the material we do to your children, so that you can engage in conversations with them about it at home.

This hub will share some of the short-term pastoral initiatives taking place. However, pastoral care is also long-term, and it feeds into our academic agenda. We will therefore use this hub to blog about the opportunities and situations we use at King’s to develop empathy, resilience and resourcefulness, and above all, the values and moral dimensions which will sustain an individual’s well being throughout their life.

We know being a teenager can be tricky so the blogs will stay within the hub for you to come back to time and time again.

Click to read Pastoral Hub

Pastoral care is not separate. It’s what we do, all the time. 
Deputy Head, Pastoral

Pastoral care

At King’s, we are proud to offer a supportive environment, where pupils can achieve their personal, social and academic goals. Our school community is small enough to feel secure and caring, but large enough to offer a huge breadth of experiences and social development.

We ensure that there is a listening ear or a helping hand around whenever a pupil needs it. We keep class sizes small and this helps our teachers get to know their pupils really well.

In the younger years, the teacher will always be the pupils’ first contact and as they progress through the School, Heads of House and the Deputy Head are also available to offer support, help and guidance.

We also have a successful buddy system, offering pupils support and advice from older children in the School. They can share their experiences, or simply be there as a friendly face.

Throughout their time here, pupils are supported and listened to as individuals. Tutors get to know each pupil very well and we encourage all pupils to consider the welfare of others as much as their own needs.

Medical services

We have a well appointed Medical Centre which is operated by the school nurse who is a registered children’s nurse and is supported by a Medical Room Assistant. The school nurse helps to manage ongoing medical needs of the pupils. She also manages essential vaccination programmes for pupils throughout their time at the School.

Poorly or injured pupils are referred to our school nurse and will be cared for either at school or hospital until a parent/guardian arrives. If a pupil remains in school and parents can not be contacted by phone, a letter will be issued detailing the nature of the apparent illness/injury and any treatment given. Consent for “over the counter medications” is routinely obtained pre-admission to school by completing the necessary form.

If you wish to discuss your child’s health, the school nurse can be contacted on 01244 689568.

Counselling Service

We have an excellent school-based counselling service available to all pupils, complementing the existing pastoral care system.  The counsellor will usually see pupils when they are referred to her by the pastoral team, but self-referral is also possible.  Our counsellor, a professionally qualified psychotherapist, is trained to listen without judging, helping pupils organise their thoughts and feelings about any concerns they may have.