Best Practice

Lessons learned: Providing pastoral care during a pandemic

Pastoral issues Safeguarding PSHE Pupil wellbeing Mental health Attendance Coronavirus
Providing pastoral care this past year has been a particular challenge for schools. One year on from the outbreak of Covid-19, head of year Dave Stephenson reflects on the challenges, successes and lessons learned during the pandemic

Among the debates around the quality of online lessons and when schools should re-open, there has been little focus in the mainstream media on the challenges that pastoral teams have faced.

I am head of year 9 at a large secondary school and, along with a team of 12 form tutors and a deputy head of year, I am responsible for the pastoral care of 255 pupils.

To say that it has been challenging during the past year would be an understatement. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the first national lockdown, I have been reflecting on the pastoral care that my colleagues and I have provided in the last year and the lessons we have learned.

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