PASTORAL AND WELLBEING SUPPORT – SGA Academy Oldham

PASTORAL DEPARTMENT

Pastoral and wellbeing support is paramount to cultivating a positive culture within the school. At SGA we pride ourselves for our holistic approach to pastoral care and wellbeing. Our pastoral systems are thorough and effective, leading to positive outcomes for all pupils. Our pastoral system does not only apply to pupils who request support, our system considers all pupils, and addresses their mental health needs, concerns, emotional wellbeing, health and social wellbeing. This approach allows us to tackle low level concerns to prevent escalation. Additionally, pupils feel comfortable to share their concerns with members of staff and the pastoral and wellbeing officer through our referral system.

PASTORAL REFERRAL SYSTEM

Our referral system is simple and easily accessible by all. Three forms are available in the school corridors adjacent to the worry box located next to our mental wellbeing displays. The form includes a staff-referral form (to be accessed by staff members), self-referral form (for pupils who wish to share their concerns), and a peer-referral form (for pupils who wish to refer a friend for support). The pastoral officer will collect the referrals on a weekly basis and book meetings accordingly to the sessions required.

Pupils will then receive one to one mentoring sessions with the pastoral officer. In the first session pupils will complete a reflective cycle exploring their thoughts, feelings, moods and behaviours to devise and action plan. The pupils will then meet the pastoral officer on a weekly basis to review the action plans and to ensure progress is being made.

Our mentoring tackles a plethora of concerns affecting pupils such as-

Primary to Secondary school transition
Difficulty settling into classes, issues building relationships with staff or peers
Poor attendance and punctuality
Poor confidence, poor self-esteem and lack of motivation
Failure to remain positive
Behavioural or emotional difficulties
Personal concerns such as struggles and trouble at home, bereavement, and bullying

In order to cultivate a positive and healthy school environment, mentoring is embedded throughout whole-school systems. Whole school mentoring takes place in the form of visitors, assemblies, visits, workshops and house group activity. Class-based mentoring takes place through focus group work and presentations of related topic areas. Finally, one to one mentoring takes place though personalised mentoring programmes, which involves personalised target settings, weekly review meetings, and formation of support networks between home and school.