MOVING from the security of the small primary school class group can often cause considerable anxiety to students starting high school.
As part of a pastoral care system, Hale School is putting considerable effort into implementing a structure to facilitate an easy transition from primary to secondary school.
Currently, Hale has a traditional ‘house’ system that accommodates some 100 students across Years 8 to 12.
Small pastoral care teams comprising one teacher and about 20 Year 8 students are supplementing this. The students will stay in this group for all core academic subjects.
The teachers (known as pastoral care leaders) will each teach one Year 8 subject and conduct activities from a structured personal development curriculum.
The personal development curriculum focuses on issues such as study skills, ethics, values, exam techniques, communication skills, goal setting and teamwork.
Pastoral care leaders meet regularly with other teachers of their group to discuss and monitor the social, emotional and academic well-being of the students, with strategies designed and tailored to meet the needs of individuals.
These can then be adopted and monitored across a range of subjects by all members of the teaching team.
Hale School’s pastoral care coordinator Richard Goater said while it will be some time before all aspects of the new system can be evaluated, initial feedback from staff, students and parents has been very positive.
