Aim

The key aim of our pastoral care system is to support pupils at every stage of their learning and development, helping them to deal with personal issues and to overcome any obstacles which would prevent them reaching their full potential.

Personal Development

On entering the school in Year 8, and continuing throughout their time in LGS, pupils are placed in form classes (tutor groups and tutors in Years 13 & 14) under the care of a form teacher and Head of Year. Form teachers meet the class daily for registration, form assembly 4 out of 5 days and for a 45-minute personal development period on Fridays. They work with pupils and deal with attendance, academic progress and behavioural issues; they are largely responsible for overseeing the social and emotional aspects of learning.

The work of form teachers in each year group is overseen by the Head of Year who is assisted by a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Heads of Years meet regularly with the Pastoral Vice Principal.

Our close ties with the other schools in the Roe Valley Learning Community result in a number of collaborative projects. In recent years ‘Love for Life’ has been involved with Years 8, 10 and 12 in partly delivering our Relationships and Sexuality Education programme. This year we also used ‘Tree of Knowledge’ for half-day motivational presentations to Year 11; these were very well received.

Anti Bullying

We believe that our school is well disciplined and organised and it can minimise the occurrence of bullying. We have a clear policy on the promotion of good citizenship, where it is made clear that bullying is a form of anti-social behaviour. It is WRONG and will not be tolerated.

Counselling

The school offers strong support for pupils experiencing social or emotional problems. Our counselling team, led by some of the Year Heads, is augmented by easy access to external organisations such as Familyworks. The Educational Welfare Officer visits us on a monthly basis to assess attendance levels. Our designated Child Protection teachers are very experienced and we have a large number of staff with First Aid qualifications.

Relationships

Excellent relationships between staff and pupils, both in and out of the classroom, are at the heart of learning and make a major contribution to the social and personal development of pupils. We seek to develop a growing sense of responsibility to self, to school and to the wider community, not least through increased self-discipline. Adherence to our Positive Behaviour Policy is fundamental to ensuring a pleasant experience for the one thousand staff and pupils who enter the school daily.