Pastoral Support

At Pitcheroak the Pastoral Team aims to:

Provide targeted support which can help pupils that may be facing challenges.
Improve pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural skills to promote and reinforce self-esteem and confidence.
Promote positive relationships and behaviour rewarding individual efforts and achievements.
Support pupils with transition.
Liaise and support with parents/carers and families and take advice and support from external professional agencies when necessary.
Provide a supportive calm environment that facilitates pupils to express their feelings.

All pupils follow a PSHE curriculum as part of the National Curriculum. PSHE supports the development of social, moral and spiritual understanding. Reporting behavioural incidents is important as staff can then identify any patterns or triggers for behaviour and intervene if necessary. As a school we record each significant incident using ‘SLEUTH’ our behaviour tracking system. This is monitored on a regular basis and strategies are amended if necessary. Appropriate behaviour strategies and achievable/understandable targets are identified and put in place for each individual pupil. Additional assistance can then be given to pupils either individually or in a small group setting e.g. social and emotional, behaviour etc. Pastoral Support Plans can be put in place and regular Pastoral Support meetings can be held with parents/carers to ensure a consistent approach both at home and at school.

Paula King

Pastoral Support worker

Well-Being Support

A child’s feelings of well-being are fundamental to their overall health and learning. Hayley works with pupils either individually or in small groups to help support their emotional well-being. The sessions are aimed at building self-confidence and emotional resilience through talking, mindfulness, emotional coaching and play, whilst helping them to find strategies to cope with further changes they may face.

Sessions may include some of the following:

Role play: Allows children to act out and make sense of real-life situations that may affect their feelings. It can encourage children to explore, investigate and experiment with their emotions.

Creative Art and Crafts: This approach can help children process their emotions especially if their communication skills are limited, for example drawing what they look like when they are happy, angry or sad. Children often feel safe to talk whilst being involved in a craft session, allowing an opportunity for them to talk and express their feelings.

Yoga and Meditation: Yoga and meditation improves both physical and mental health. Using controlled breathing helps to relax and calm the body, which can reduce anxiety and stress.

Talking Sessions: These sessions are non-judgemental and based on trust, they provide an opportunity for the students to talk through difficult situations, helping them to find their own solutions to problems.