What is pastoral care in schools?

What do we mean by pastoral care?

At its simplest, pastoral care is the beating heart of all schools. It’s the building of a warm and caring community, where the physical and emotional welfare of students is prioritised. Pastoral care is the foundation upon which learning can take place. Happy children, who feel a sense of belonging in their school, and understand that they have a voice, learn best.

Why is pastoral care important?

All parents want their children to be safe and happy at school.  Schools with excellent pastoral care thread it through every aspect of school life in order to foster students’ personal development as much as their academic progress. This holistic approach recognises that nurturing health, resilience and kindness in a school community will allow each individual to thrive. Students know they will be supported by their teachers and peers will feel empowered to try new things – in the classroom and in extra-curricular clubs and activities. They will grow in confidence and develop a greater sense of agency, understanding how they can use their voice to bring about change.

What is more, discussions within a school’s Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) programme give space to explore an understanding of balance and looking after the whole self.

How do I recognise good pastoral care?

You can recognise excellent pastoral care from the moment you walk into a school. It should be apparent in friendly and respectful staff-student interactions, and be seen in how students are known and treated as individuals by their teachers. It should be felt and reflected in every aspect of school life, from its ethos, the environment for learning, and the way personal development is fostered in the curriculum and co-curriculum.

What does pastoral care in a GDST school look like?

GDST schools have long been committed to a holistic view of education; the Trust has over 150 years’ experience to draw on in tailoring its provision, not only to how girls learn, but also to how they develop emotionally. This experience informs all its work.

In GDST schools staff know students as individuals and care about their progress; excellent student-teacher relationships are regularly commended in school inspection reports. Training and collaboration across our GDST family mean teachers can share best practice, get ahead of issues and deal with them swiftly.

The strength of GDST pastoral care is evidenced in the Undivided survey – an annual pulse-check of how students are feeling in our schools – whether they feel known, listened to, and understood. The results suggest a resounding yes, with 80% (or more) of students in GDST schools responding “I feel I belong.”

Above all, girls form friendships that will last a lifetime.

“The lasting legacy for me of having attended a girls’ school is a sense of community and confidence in how powerful and caring a group of girls can be without the fear of judgement.” GDST alumna

Which staff are involved in pastoral care?

All GDST schools have highly trained and dedicated pastoral staff, including teachers, nurses and counsellors. The first point of contact for parents will generally be the form / class tutor, but within each of our schools, every teacher and support staff member recognises the important pastoral role they have to play.

What distinguishes pastoral care across the GDST?

The GDST has long recognised the importance of taking a proactive approach to mental health and the building of resilience in students, so that they grow in confidence and leave school with a developed sense of their own agency.