Pastoral Support at Leedon Lower School

Intent

At Leedon Lower School we are incredibly proud of our Pastoral provision which underpins the very ethos of the caring and nurturing approach across the entire school and our community which centres on the personal wellbeing and development of each and every child. Pastoral support is interwoven and embedded within our curriculum promoting children’s safety, well-being and social and emotional health.

Our focus is to identify, understand and respond to the wide and varied needs of our children and families and implement tailored interventions, enabling our pupils to reach their full potential.

With our staff knowing their pupils and their unique circumstances we are able to support and respond to their needs through open and honest communication with families, developing that all important holistic approach to enable positive outcomes for all involved.

To achieve these outcomes we intend to:

• Develop Social and Emotional skills to enable children to make positive choices and relationships throughout life
• Develop confidence and self-esteem to engage in social situations and explore controversial issues
• Develop emotional intelligence and safe behaviour both within school and beyond
• Give our children the opportunity to express and voice their thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive environment
• Enable our children to re-engage with life and learning by overcoming barriers caused by difficult or traumatic life events
• Promote and develop tolerance and empathy for others
• Develop a toolkit to build resilience and determination to face difficulties throughout life
• Follow procedures to gain support from multi-agencies to promote and ensure the best outcomes with the needs of the child and family at the centre of all decisions.

Implementation

Our PSHE and RSE curriculum ensures there are opportunities to develop social and personal skills within the classroom visiting spiritual, moral and cultural issues. Children are encouraged to have a voice and make a positive contribution. Thoughts and feelings are explored within the curriculum at all levels delivered with age appropriate activities and content to promote the development of positive mental health.

Using positive language and encouraging feedback is fundamental with any interaction with every child to ensure their self-belief develops and flourishes to their full potential. All staff model calm and consistent behaviour together with demonstrating positive relationships and interaction between staff and pupils.

Our School Council gives opportunity for pupil voice, opinion and input across the school.

Pastoral support may be short or long term, for a change in circumstances at school or home, including separation, bereavement, a lack of self-esteem and confidence, a social or friendship concern, which may be causing anxiety, stress or sadness.

In addition to our whole-school approach, our more tailored Pastoral support provision of intervention offered to pupils and families includes:

• Social Skills and Emotional Literacy small intervention Group
• Self- Esteem and Confidence small intervention Group
• Self-regulation, Anger Management and Resilience small intervention Group
• Friendship Group
• Nurture Group
• Protective Behaviours Intervention
• Counselling
• Play Therapy
• Experiential community visits for social skill and confidence development linked to classroom learning.
• Breakfast Club
• Meet and Greet and De-brief sessions
• Sensory Room
• Sign-posting to external Parenting Support Groups
• Parent Drop-in
• Family support intervention

Impact 

Plan, do, review is a continuum within Pastoral Support. Analysing what is working and what needs changing is key to each individual’s success. Impact will be measured by

• The child’s engagement in their learning and the progress made
• Emotional Literacy Assessment
• Behaviour and incidents will reduce
• Positive behaviours will be demonstrated
• Friendships will be positive and wider
• Increased confidence and self-esteem
• Feelings and Emotions will be managed using new skills
• Parents will access help and support to build positivity and confidence

Leedon Lower School benefits from well trained and experienced staff to enable this provision to be effective. We ensure help is always offered to any child and/or family in need of long or short term support, enabling every child at our school to have the chance they deserve of accessing their learning and reaching their full potential.