Pastoral Care

Pastoral Overview Mrs V West - Deputy Headteacher
Associate Leaders Mr R McCarthy (Head of Year 7 and Transition), Mr B Storey (Head of Middle School and Year 9), Mrs S Whyte-McLean (Head of Upper School and Year 11),
Head of Year  Miss J Barton - Year 8, Mrs A Robinson - Year 10
Pastoral Manager Mrs H Pudney 
Pastoral Support Mrs V Kerr (Yr 7), Mr W Brooks (Years 8 & 9), Miss H Edmunds (Years 10 & 11)
Head of Sixth Form Mrs G Willcox
Assistant Head of Sixth Form Mrs Y Sewell
Pastoral Manager for Sixth Form Mrs C Mills

Encouraged, supported and challenged

The school has a well established and clear system of pastoral care designed to encourage positive attitudes to work and learning. We believe that students learn best when they are in an environment in which they feel safe and secure. Structures and procedures have been developed which will encourage all students to fulfil their potential, promoting positive attitudes to learning within a caring and supportive environment. We believe that no child can learn successfully when worried or unhappy. We, therefore, aim to provide a calm, ordered and caring environment in which learning can take place and in which the students feel valued members of the school community.

‘Underpinning the success of the school is the outstanding care, guidance and support it provides for its students.’

‘Students feel very safe in the school and the school’s procedures for safeguarding students are outstanding.’

‘Students behave with high levels of courtesy to each other and to adults around the school, and their exceptional behaviour in lessons supports a fast pace of learning.’

Quotes from Ofsted Inspection Report 11th - 12th July 2011

The system of Pastoral Care at Chelmer Valley aims:

  • to ensure that all students make a smooth and successful transition from their previous schools
  • to enable students to feel happy, safe and secure at school
  • to work closely with parents to provide maximum support for their children
  • to ensure that the school ethos and atmosphere allow students to make the most of all opportunities, study and learn effectively, use their abilities and develop their skills
  • to assist students to develop self-awareness, self-confidence and self-reliance
  • to enable students to make informed choices and decisions about their future lives
  • develop as a whole person by acquiring confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem and sense of individual purpose
  • become co-operating and contributing members of school and society, prepared to take and accept responsibility
  • develop sensitivity, respect and tolerance towards others
  • benefit from and contribute to the development of equal opportunities
  • be happy at school and to succeed to the best of their abilities, academically, spiritually and physically.

Students are allocated a tutor group on arrival and have the stability of working in this group as they progress through the school. The tutor and Head of Year for the year group play a vital role in supporting and encouraging each individual and are the first point of contact between school and home.

Daily tutor periods allow tutors to monitor the progress and wellbeing of their students and provide individuals with the mentoring, support and guidance they need. Within these tutor periods, a programme of activities is carried out to support their well being and learning.

In addition to the traditional tutor system, all tutor groups belong to one of seven houses; Curie, Holst, Einstein, Livingstone, Marconi, Rutherford and Vickers. It is through the house system that we encourage students of all ages to work together and help each other. See specific section on the house system for more information.

Liaison

We work closely with parents and encourage you to contact the school as soon as a problem arises. In most instances, initial contact should be made via your child's form tutor or with the pastoral manager that supports the Year teams. Consultation takes place both at evenings organised for each year group and at other times, by arrangement, whenever it is appropriate or necessary. Meetings with teachers can be arranged very rapidly and telephone discussions can usually take place on the day contact is made. Parents are welcome at Chelmer Valley but we do request that you make an appointment if you would like a meeting with a member of the pastoral team or a specific teacher.