Pastoral Care
Our welcoming, nurturing and secure environment ensures that every pupil feels valued and supported, enabling them to succeed academically, and in the many extra-curricular activities on offer. We encourage a culture of openness and are committed to providing continuity of pastoral care throughout a pupil’s time at Churcher’s. Our pastoral system is one based upon open communication between pupils and staff. Our pupils have a host of adults in the school community to whom they can talk, and who will have concern and compassion for them.
Open communication
The relationship with a pupil’s Head of House and Form Tutor is a particularly important one. However, some pupils will find they talk most easily to one of our School Nurses, or one of their subject teachers. Some students prefer to talk to our dedicated School Counsellor, or our school Chaplain, if they are worried about something specific because they find these specialist members of staff particularly accessible and reassuring.
In essence, we believe that it would be hard for a Churcher’s pupil not to find someone to whom they find it easy to talk.
A key feature of our pastoral provision is a strong partnership between school and home. Open dialogue with parents is actively encouraged and contributes significantly to maintaining the happiness and wellbeing of our pupils.
Perhaps most importantly, Churcher’s pupils also share problems with each other, and are incredibly supportive, tolerant and understanding of their peers; we see this as one of the defining characteristics of our school.
The House System
The House system provides every Churcher’s student with a consistent pastoral relationship throughout school. Forming a core part of the school pastoral system, Heads of House and their teams foster relationships and understanding with each pupil in their care to deliver the support and guidance needed for a happy and healthy school experience.
Sixth Form Pastoral Care
Our aim is to ensure Churcher’s Sixth Form students find the school to be a nurturing and supportive environment where they can develop and thrive. Sixth Form is a time of great challenge and opportunity, so we focus on working in partnership with parents to help our pupils flourish.
We have a dedicated team of staff members to support our students. Key figures with specific responsibility for student welfare in Sixth Form include the Head of Sixth Form, Deputy Head of Sixth Form Pastoral and the five Heads of House.
We are proud that our busy and vibrant Sixth Form is small enough for students to be known personally, for their potential to be recognised and developed, and individual support given where needed. There are certainly many opportunities for pupils to get involved with at Churcher’s, and our dedicated team of staff members are here to support them on their journey.
Tutors and support
Significant additional support in Sixth Form comes in the form of a Personal Tutor whose role is to oversee all academic and pastoral matters for the individuals in their care. Personal Tutors will meet and talk regularly with their tutees about all aspects of Sixth Form life, helping students achieve the optimum work life balance as they navigate the challenges of A Levels and preparation for life beyond school. We recognise the importance of strong links between school and home, and the Personal Tutor is the first point of liaison with parents.
Form Tutors, wellbeing and medical staff also play a significant role in supporting our students through their time in the Sixth Form. We have a dedicated School Counsellor, Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator and a School Nurse permanently on-site taking care of the welfare of pupils.
PSHE and Life Skills
Our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) for Sixth Form includes life skills, leadership training, team building and guest speakers, and complements the stimulating enrichment programme and work done on higher education, university preparation and future careers.
We aim to help students to become responsible and capable members of wider society and encourage them to lead healthy lifestyles. The Sixth Form pastoral programme includes a series of helpful talks and seminars about learning to cope with stress, resilience, exam planning and mindfulness. We also weave in initiatives from the Local Health Authority and Hampshire Police, plus the ‘Safe Drive Stay Alive’ seminar which coincides with the age when many students learn to drive.
We also offer 'Spiritual Spaces', a set of reflection themes that Form Tutors discuss weekly with students during tutorial time. These sessions enable students to pause, reflect, consider, and discuss issues which may be topical, moral, or ethical such as forgiveness, cyber security, and the role of free speech.
