Pastoral Support
What is Pastoral Support?
Pastoral Support is a service that gives help and support to students as well as providing information, advice and guidance. We always work in close partnership with teachers, parents/carers and other specialist agencies.
What is our Intent?
To know our pupils and to create positive environments, where our students feel they are welcome, understood and supported. Support relationships between families, students and staff, enabling our pupils to confidently immerse themselves in our ASPIRE values, be proud of themselves and their achievements and of being an important member of our Academy team. Encourage students to have respect and responsibility for their actions, to themselves as well as to others, traits we hope they will take with them into our local community and wider society.
What are our aims?
Our aim is to identify any concerns or issues at the earliest possible opportunity and remove any barriers to learning which may be preventing our students from reaching their potential. We pride ourselves in knowing our young people well and working alongside the teaching and support staff we aim to develop positive relationships with them and their families. We respond as quickly as possible to any issues and ensure that difficulties are discussed and resolved in the best possible way.
The Pastoral Support Team at Shire Oak Academy offers help and support in the following areas:
Behaviour support/management
Any pupil who displays poor behaviour will face our disciplinary procedure. The Acorn and Oak rooms are for pupils who display continual poor behaviour both in and out of the classroom and who do not respond to the academy’s discipline procedures. Pupils may also receive Behaviour Management Plans where their behaviour is discussed and improvement strategies and goals are set.Emotional help
Our Success Centre team are highly trained in all areas of emotional counselling, including anger management and bereavement counselling and are adept at providing support to our students who are in need of it during difficult times.
Academic support
Our SEND team work closely with students who can benefit from their intervention skills and expert knowledge. Some students may require amendments to their timetable for a variety of reasons, which we will always endeavour to support. Staff, students, parents and carers work closely together to ensure that our students are fully supported throughout their educational journey and beyond.
Restorative Approaches
Generally with issues involving disruptive behaviour, friendship and anger management. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions and have an understanding of the effects on those around them with respect for themselves and others too.
Peer mediation
Encouraging students to peer mediate is an opportunity our Pastoral Team often utilise. This is something that our children enjoy participating in and it encourages skills for life too. As students are encouraged to help their peers work out their problems, it also empowers them to be able to work through their own concerns independently.
Links to specialist external agencies
When needed, we will refer our pupils to outside agencies who will provide more specialist support, these include: CASH nurses (sexual health), Black Country Women’s Aid (domestic violence), Beacon (drugs and alcohol) and meetings with Social Workers. These agencies will sometimes come into school and meet with pupils in our Success Centre.
Who gives Pastoral Support?
The pastoral system is the responsibility of the Pastoral Manager who oversees all staff working in this context with our young people. The Form Tutor is always the first point of contact for parents/carers regarding any concerns or issues.
The Pastoral Team consists of an assistant Pastoral Manager, Deputy Safeguarding lead, five Heads of year and their assistants, a first aider and a team of support workers in our Success Centre. This team has many years of combined experience working with young people and providing academic and emotional support in a variety of ways. They know the students they deal with extremely well and continuously monitor their progress in all aspects of school life.