Dear Parent/Carer,
We are approaching the last day of term and please can I take the opportunity to thank you for your support this year. It has been a very busy year in school with a great number of trips, sporting events, careers events and much more.
I write to you to tell you about some slight changes in the pastoral system in school. We are always seeking to improve upon how we care for students in school and as such there are a number of benefits to the change.
Years 7 – 9
Students will be in vertical tutor groups, a tutor group consisting of nine Year 7, nine Year 8 and nine Year 9 pupils. The classes have been specially selected to include students in friendship groups and with complimentary AtLs (Attitude to Learning). The reasons for this change include:
- Tutor time peer reading development opportunities;
- Visible journey eg Year 7s see Year 8s in options process and understand better their educational journey through the the school;
- Positive influence of students in a different year group;
- Peer counselling opportunities;
- Beginning the day with a different group of students to who they will be in lessons with all day;
- Trying to replicate the ‘extended family’ – following the social challenges that have arisen post-covid
- Opportunity to bond more with other year groups.
- We do very few whole school things, this is an attempt to make us truly a community, not just in our year groups;
- Schools who have done this report a reduction in bullying and other anti-social behaviours;
- When changing a form group, there are 23 to choose from;
- Develop the maturity of transition year pupils before going into KS4.
The Leaders of this Key Stage 3 will change slightly too in that there will still be 3 Leaders but they will work with the whole Key Stage in three distinct areas in line with our Preparedness Agenda (behaviour policy):
Key Stage Leader – Prepared to Achieve (KSLA)
Key Stage Leader – Prepared to Belong & Connect (KSLBC)
Key Stage Leader – Prepared to Develop (KSLD)
There will still be 3 Assistant Key Stage Leaders and 3 Student Support Assistants. We feel this will allow continuity for pastoral staff when working with families rather than passing the year group on to a new Year Team at the end of the year.
Students will be advised on Friday of who their tutor and Key Stage Leader will be.
Years 10 -11
Key Stage 4 continues to have a Year Leader, Assistant Year Leader and Student Support Assistant for each year group. The teams will be on rotation meaning the Year Leader for Year 10 will take the year group through to year 11 and then pick up the new year 10. This will allow continuity with families but also an expertise within this very important key stage.
Years 12 -13
Key Stage 5 continues under the leadership of Mrs Henderson, Assistant Headteacher.
We are very much looking forward to the new pastoral teams and each key stage will have its own hub for the team to share, enabling close working, sharing of information and reformative work and counselling for students is able to happen with care and fluency.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Kate Finch
Headteacher
