All schools have a duty of care towards their students and understand that things that go on outside of that can affect them. They strive to help them with this where possible to ensure that their safety and wellbeing is looked after. Pastoral care refers to the systems in place to support students emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Form tutors are a part of this and can spot changes in behaviour well as they see their students on a daily basis. Below is information from a private school in Surrey on the importance of pastoral care in schools.
Social Skills and Confidence
House systems also form a part of the mix. They help children to feel as though they belong to something bigger such as a team and develop confidence. As they work with their peers in the same team, they can make friends, develop their social skills, and learn about teamwork.
Improved Attendance
As children receive the help that they need, they become happier and have fewer barriers stopping them from wanting to go to school. Their engagement in class also improves as they can focus. This shift doesn’t happen without a team of dedicated teachers and can help children to really flourish while at school.
Safeguarding
As we know, there are a lot of dangers that children need protecting from. Sometimes it can be difficult to spot the signs. By having a dedicated teacher like a form tutor, children have someone that they can go to for help at school. They can also observe these changes and recognise if there is anything that’s wrong.
Life Lessons
Pastoral care is also responsible for delivering PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education). It teaches children important lessons that don’t necessarily fit into the curriculum. This better equips them for life and teaches them things to take through to adulthood.
