| If a school is to be regarded as a civilised and caring place, then the role of pastoral care staff is crucial. The pastoral care teacher is a very important person in the life of any secondary school pupil. He or she should know everything which is important to know about the children in his or her care and is the school’s main link with the home. It is the pastoral care teacher who monitors attendance and timekeeping, scrutinises and summarises reports, liaises with outside bodies and who writes reports for prospective employers. |
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The school’s pastoral care system is organised on a “vertical” basis. This means that pastoral care staff have responsibility for pupils in all years in the school. They are linked to registration groups in each year.
GETTING TO SEE THEM
Parents who wish to speak to their child’s pastoral care teacher normally write or telephone to arrange an appointment. In an emergency parents can, of course, just come to the school and they will be seen. It may be, however, that the key person is not available immediately.
CAREERS
The pastoral care staff are also responsible for the provision of vocational advice and liaison with the careers service. They co-ordinate the vital process of getting the children to compile their Curriculm Vitae. All pupils receive a structured programme of careers education in S3/4 and are given the opportunity to have an interview with our careers officer. The officers also attend parents’ meetings and are happy to advise individual parents.
COURSE CHOICE
In S2 when pupils have to go through the process of choosing courses for S3/4, pastoral care staff advise both pupils and parents. A similar thing happens in S4 when pupils are deciding what they will do in S5/6. |