A community that values education in its broadest sense
The care and development of each pupil lies at the centre of everything that happens at the College.
Our pastoral care is employed to encourage, guide and nurture every pupil to achieve their very best. The College sets aspirational targets for overall achievements, but we make sure that pupils have the right balance of stretch and support. We believe that pupils who feel safe, valued and happy will thrive.
We work with pupils to develop in them the strengths that will serve them their whole lives. Key values are instilled in every individual.
Our Wellbeing Vision
Our wellbeing is fundamental to being well. It is a shared responsibility to look after each other, to offer support and to speak out. We see wellbeing as integral to the culture we promote; a constant thread and not an add-on.
Everyone deserves to feel safe, to be happy and to be as successful as they can be in all that they do. Looking after ourselves and being encouraged to do so proactively, will help us look after each other. With the support of friends, colleagues, home, and the whole pastoral care team everyone should know they are valued and celebrated for who they are. Mental health affects everyone in the same way as our physical health.
Our core values, our seaside location, our breadth of curriculum, our spiritual provision and our drive to raise awareness of challenges we might face will help make our community stronger and healthier.
Helping pupils thrive
Inside the classroom, on the sports field and in all kinds of co-curricular activities, staff focus on providing a platform to participate in a wide range of co-curricular activities and to develop new skills. Learning to work with others, being a team player, taking the lead, showing resilience and above all growing in confidence from their own self-belief.
Houses are key for the child, family and the whole journey through school. Every pupil immediately feels that they belong to their house. Here they will experience friendships, often life-long, house spirit, preparing for inter-house competitions from signing to debating to sports and a close-knit community. The central person in the College life of every boy or girl, boarding or day, is their housemistress or housemaster.
Each pupil is allocated to a tutor in their house with whom they have frequent contact. Weekly tutor time, one-to-one sessions and informal house time at the end of the week plays a vital role in helping pupils. They oversee academic progress, any concerns, support them to take on new opportunities and to keep a check on their overall wellbeing.
Pupils also benefit from a programme of learning about life from visiting speakers on teenage issues including alcohol, body image, drugs, mental health and self-esteem.
"I see the extraordinary lengths the staff go to, to ensure pastoral care is as good as it can be."
Other pastoral support
In addition to the housemasters and housemistresses, tutors and matrons, the chaplain, deputy head (pastoral), medical centre, school counsellors and an independent person are all integral parts of the College’s pastoral system. Together they work to ensure that each pupil’s strengths are recognised and developed so that they feel valued for who they are. While they each perform a specialist role within the College, collectively this group forms a cohesive team providing daily support and guidance to any pupil who requires a helping hand.
Positions of responsibility
Senior pupils earn the opportunity to fulfil roles such as heads of school, school prefects, heads of house and house prefects. These individuals are regarded as role models for the younger pupils and are expected to help, encourage and guide fellow pupils. These positions help pupils learn about community, leadership, responsibility and support. They may also find they wish to pursue an area of interest and take on a representative role in one of the many groups or committees i.e. school council, charity, BeYou, chapel, catering, environment, peer listener etc.
The heads of school and school prefects work closely with the headmaster, second master, deputy head (pastoral) assisting with the day-to-day school matters, but also setting out how they would like to make a difference during their year in post.
In addition for our younger pupils, they have opportunities to take on responsibility through their house councils, school council, ‘buddy’ system or Wellbeing Whizz Kids.
