pastoral care

[foreverastudent]

How important is pastoral care in school?

How do you judge how good a school is at it before sending your DCs there?

Anyone had any v good or v bad experiences?

Massively important imho.

You never know when you are going to need it; besides, it's about what kind of environment you want your child to be in. A school that is strong on pastoral care is a school that cares about people.

I am at a bit of an advantage at this game as I have two children with problems arising from chronic health issues/disabilities. So I go in and mention some of the situations likely to arise and then I watch them narrowly.

Another good way is to speak with local parents- do they feel listened to? Can you find any parents with children with SEN? Another way is to ask how they deal with bullying - if they say there is no bullying, don't trust them, this means they are not dealing with it.

We have had one very bad experience (dd's junior school) and one brilliant experience (dd's secondary). The secondary has really been exemplary, and tbh it showed from the first chat we had with them- they were so on the ball, so creative in coming up with solutions.

Yes...hugely important....more important than anything else in my opinion. It' reflective of the general care/kindness that the children recieve...which is paramount.

Have been looking around secondary's and they're much of a muchness but one really stood out. The HT did a great speech not just for the parents but talked about things that interested the children there. Said the most important thing is that everyone is happy at the school. When we walked around there was a real buzz and everyone seemed really friendly. Hands-on activities were available for ds to try which is something none of the other schools did. Talking to other parents we were told that the pastoral care is excellent. So to answer your question I think it is very important as it has a huge impact on how the children feel at the school. My ds has SEN and I would feel happier knowing he is at a school that cares about the pupils not just the results.

It was the emphasis on pastoral care that decided the secondary school for DS. Thought he might need a bit of help with settling, how right I was.

He became suicidal within weeks of starting there and they were amazing. Got him a referral to CAMHS within hours and onsite counselling until CAMHS could provide more. Now has dx of ASD, initially suggested by SENCO. Even I got supported when I found myself in tears during an initial meeting- the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming

DS is fine now, doing well but support in the background if he needs it.

IMO no matter how confident your child is, their emotional happiness will always matter more than academic achievements. A school that understands that is priceless.

very important BUT some schools will claim to be good at it but will actually be crap

DCs seem to get pastoral care right. I don't no exactly how, but the dcs are very happy. If I email a teacher or HOY I get a response that day. Any bullying issues are stamped on straightaway.

When DS started he was mugged by a kid from another school, school sent him home in a cab and offered to pick him up and take him to school, if he was scared of going by himself, thankfully it wasn't necessary.

All the schools did the hands on activities when we did open evenings, but at DS schools the teachers were really involved talking to the new prospective dcs and had a good relationship with the existing pupils.

The HM always does a sort of bemused "children are from another planet and they do things i don't get ie texting each other when they are standing next to each other" but you can tell he is extremely proud and fond of the children in the school.

@bruffin I know this is very old thread but would you mind telling which school it was? Their care on your son seems excellent.

@bruffin I know this is very old thread but would you mind telling which school it was? Their care on your son seems excellent.

@bruffin I know this is very old thread but would you mind telling which school it was? Their care on your son seems excellent.