Recent years have seen a focus on inclusion. The pastoral systems and structures in schools support inclusion and the socialisation and personal development of learners.
Effective pastoral care enables young people to understand their lives and the world they live in and make sense of their learning experience.
It provides the foundations for all learners to achieve and prepares them for the opportunities and challenges in their future lives.
The National Association for Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE) has for 42 years been sharing research and ideas about the contribution effective pastoral care and support can make to the learning experience of children and young people.
Lessons from good practice in pastoral care
It is amazing that at a time when there are increasing demands being made on pastoral systems alongside pressure due to reduced funding, schools have found ways with limited resources to continue to make a difference for the children and young people in their care.
Sharing good practice provides inspiration and ideas for how schools can ensure their pastoral structures and systems are effective. Here are some examples from schools whose work has been recognised via our NAPCE annual pastoral care awards.
1, Support the wellbeing of staff
If you look after the adults, they will be in a better position to provide the support that children and young people need. Tor Bank Special School in Belfast, for example, has a peer-led approach. A team of volunteers works together to provide support for their colleagues. It means that staff can approach their peers if they need any support, and the team can inform leadership if staff or teams are feeling pressure or have any concerns. The team also organises events which help to raise staff morale. Staff feel valued and supported.
2, Tailor approaches to student needs
St Mary’s Christian Brothers School in Belfast has won awards for its restorative approaches to behaviour management. St Mary’s, an all-boys school, found that challenges to authority increased after Covid. “Difficult conversations” were introduced to make learners accountable for their actions. Sanctions are applied, if necessary, but a difficult conversation can take place to make the young person responsible for their behaviour. They focus on four elements: accountability, empathy, resolution, prevention.
The use of restorative approaches has seen the school move to an “awareness of harm” culture. The school is now training students to be restorative peer mentors.
Likewise, St Kevin’s College in Lisnaskea has introduced a “restorative room” which provides opportunities for students to reflect on their behaviour. The room is where relationships are restored, empathy is cultivated, and a sense of justice is fostered.
3, Increase capacity for pastoral care with peer support
Schools have found that training students to support the pastoral care and wellbeing of their peers provides additional capacity for the pastoral work of the school.
At Glenlola Collegiate School in Bangor students are trained to have responsibility in different support roles. Students are trained as active listeners and provide additional support for the school’s pastoral systems.
“Peer supporters” are an integral part of school life and visit their form classes on a weekly basis to carry out activities to foster a sense of inclusion within these classes. In 2023 the school expanded this initiative through the Pupil Wellness Team by appointing “peer leaders” to oversee the peer support initiatives across different year groups. These students are selected for their exemplary leadership skills and empathy.
4, Innovate to meet diverse needs
Schools are using their pastoral structures and systems to meet the diverse needs of learners, recognising that individual children and young people need different interventions and support.
Blessed Trinity College in Belfast has an extensive outreach programme to support families, including food hamper deliveries and group support. The school has developed a garden area to support mental health and wellbeing too.
High Field and Brookham School in Hampshire, meanwhile, opened a designated space for pastoral support called the Beehive, which provides a calm and welcoming environment for individual and group support. It serves as a refuge for students to confide in a trusted adult or peer mentor or a place to simply destress and recharge.
Glenlola school in Bangor developed a dedicated Wellness Centre with facilities that included a relaxation room. This has enabled the school to offer a range of wellbeing initiatives including pilates and visits from therapy dogs.
Thornhill Community College in West Yorkshire has introduced a weekly Ladies Group in school, targeted at the mums, aunties and grandmas. They use the Ladies Group as a forum to discuss community challenges and address sensitive issues such as female genital mutilation, gang violence, domestic abuse and so on. This makes the adults feel more informed and confident about providing support for their children.
5, Supporting socialisation
Using pastoral structures and systems in schools to support the socialisation of learners and build their resilience enables learners to be more confident about responding to challenges in their learning and their lives.
Royal School Dungannon has developed several pupil-focused groups including “Safe Space” and “The Safer School”. Safe Space provides a lunchtime drop-in where vulnerable pupils are given a space to meet, chat and access mentoring when required.
The Safer School team, meanwhile, works to raise awareness of mental health and pastoral issues in school, as well as taking regular assemblies to provide effective strategies and coping mechanisms to help students manage challenges in their lives.
6, Leadership of pastoral care
The leadership of pastoral care ensures that pastoral structures and systems are focused on meeting the needs of all learners.
Strangford Integrated College in Carrowdore has a weekly meeting with staff to ensure that the school is aware of any pressing pastoral issues. The head of pastoral care has established the College Intensive Support Group (CISG) to link with SEND, safeguarding and external agencies to ensure that young people at risk of falling between the gaps in services are not missed.
This approach to pastoral leadership has led to initiatives including Bullying Ambassadors, a safe place for young people to explore identity and sexuality to support inclusion, and a comprehensive tracking system to flag students who are underachieving with a series of relevant intervention strategies implemented in response.
The pastoral leadership at St Mary’s School in Fivemiletown, meanwhile, prioritises the holistic development and welfare of students through initiatives such as mentorship programmes, peer support groups, and cultural awareness workshops.
Counselling services, mindfulness workshops and promoting open dialogue about mental health are examples of initiatives to support the emotional wellbeing of students.
The focus at Mansell Primary School in Sheffield has been on embedding a pastoral culture and inclusive ethos in the school by building positive relationships. Initiatives have included family learning and joint planning with parents. The impact of this approach to pastoral care was recognised by inspectors, who commented on how “staff teach pupils how to disagree without falling out”.
They added: “Leaders use a ‘Monday briefing’ to remind pupils about important concepts, such as healthy relationships. This helps pupils of all ages to show a strong understanding of how to stay safe, both in the community and online.”
7, Make pastoral care and support visible
Pastoral care is more effective if it promotes a positive culture where learners see support as being a normal part of school life and not as a specific response to problems.
At Bristnall Hall Academy in Oldbury there are five non-teaching “achievement co-ordinators” who provide support and guidance for the 220 learners in each year group.
At the start of the day, they are on the playground greeting their year groups and making sure they are ready for the day. At break times they supervise social times and are the champion of their year group.
In lesson time they visit students in classes to support learners who may need some direction or additional support. They also contact external agencies and families to co-ordinate any support needed for individual learners.
Their visibility and knowledge of individual learners is inspirational, and they are the glue that holds their year groups together.
The pastoral team at Fir Vale School in Sheffield, meanwhile, are the “boots on the ground” every single day, including community walks to ensure that learners arrive safely.
Their endless list of duties mean that they are always available to students if they need a friendly face or have an issue. The school serves a deprived area, and the pastoral team provides the academic motivation that students do not always get from home.
- Phil Jones is the national chair for the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education. Nominations for the 2025 National awards for pastoral Care in Education are now open at https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2025-entry-form. For more information about NAPCE visit www.napce.org.uk or to register for the monthly free newsletter email admin@napce.org.uk