LEAD ARTICLE: “The Importance of Resilience in a School Setting” by NAPCE NEC Member Dr Julianne Brown

The Importance of Resilience in a School Setting by Dr Julianne Brown

With the increase in mental health concerns amongst young people post-covid, there is a need for a focused approach to strengthen resilience both for individuals and communities.

Resilience is a positive factor for wellbeing and crucial for supporting mental health (Mesman, Vreeker and Hillegers, 2021).

This newsletter article explores what is meant by resilience, the determining factors and proposed strategies for strengthening resilience, particularly in the school context.

I  discuss the need for a support person, a ‘Champion in our Corner’. Finally, I call for a reinforcement of our collaborative resilience net, in order to nurture the resilience in us all, one that, not only cushions us from the falls, but guides us further towards different ways of being and growing together.

The above definitions suggest resilience as the individuals ability to bounce back or recover from adversity, returning, as a minimum, to the previous level of functioning. For the purposes of this article, I have referred to this as the bounce back model of resilience:

Drawing on current the academic literature on resilience, a more comprehensive interpretation emerges. The findings of the systematic literature search from Mesman, Vreeker and Hilleers (2021:587), refers to resilience as a “multi-systemic dynamic process of successful adaption or recovery in the context of risk or a threat” that can change over time and includes the social, cultural and family context. This study corroborates the socio-cultural aspects for resilience from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. For a brief exploration of the science behind resilience their video series ‘InBrief: The Science of Resilience’ is, as its title suggests, brief but informative. Moving perspective towards the field of positive psychology, Tal Ben-Shahar introduces the concept of resilience as anti fragility, Resilience 2.0 as he named it. The ability not only to bounce back from difficult situations but achieve a post traumatic growth following such episodes of stress and/or trauma.

The possibility of post traumatic growth provides encouragement for a proactive approach to strengthening resilience within the school context.

Resilience – the determining factors

It is important to recognise that not all people react in the same way towards stressful or traumatic events. The capacity for resilience is influenced by past experiences, individual wellbeing and lived context. Whilst adverse childhood experiences are negative factors for the development of adult resiliency, the presence of a trusted adult is a positive factor (Bellis et al 2017, Ashton et al 2021), a role that may or may not be fulfilled by parents depending on their own levels of resilience. Whilst there are calls for a greater understanding of resilience factors over the long term to improve the provision of preventative and early intervention programmes, there is support to developing resilience through individual personal development skills, building supportive relationships and nurturing safe, caring communities. For children and young people, this includes the school setting and resonates strongly with the trauma informed education approaches that are gaining in popularity.

Strategies for strengthening resilience in the school context

Starting with the early identification of childhood impact stressors, through a multidisciplinary approach to student health and welfare, scarce resources should be targeted to reach those most at risk.  Nonetheless, resilience is not purely an individual pursuit. A dynamic perspective of resilience is likely to be realised through a collective approach to wellbeing that acknowledges the interdependence of our individual wellness in direct correlation with our relationship to others. This perspective brings into focus the social, emotional aspects of living and learning within the school community.

So what can we do to strengthen resilience in schools?

Mesman, Vreeker and Hilleers (2021:590) suggest the following factors to support a positive growth in resilience:

“personal skills, social skills, peer support, school environment, contact with peers, parent–child relationship, family problem-solving, parental resilience, parental stress and goal orientation”.

Whilst some of these factors will be outside the specific remit of schools, we can elicit that building resilience over the longterm will require more than stand-alone, individually targeted interventions and that a holistic approach within our learning communities is required. It is useful then, to consider resilience programmes as part of a whole school framework for wellbeing, particularly based on relational wellbeing, building connections through the individual, family, school culture and wider society. In the following table, I offer some suggestions for such a framework in schools using these four dimensions which could be adapted and developed depending on local school context.

A Champion in Our Corner

For children and young people, the continued support of a trusted adult is a crucial element of strengthening resiliency through reducing the impact of adverse childhood experiences (Bellis et al 2017, Ashton et al 2021). We all need a ‘champion in our corner’, someone who will actively listen, be non-judgemental and who can treat our hopes, desires and dreams with care and respect. A trusted adult may be a parent, a relation, friend or professional. Whoever that ‘champion’ is they will also need support and guidance to ensure their wellbeing is not compromised by this sometimes overwhelming responsibility. Within an education setting, the informal role of a ‘trusted adult’ becomes a grey area. To protect both children and adults in the school setting, the ‘trusted adult’ requires clear boundaries around their scope of practice, robust policies that include aspects of confidentiality and effective leadership to support the role. Training, debriefing and networking opportunities are necessary and an awareness that the ‘trusted adult’  may already be experiencing their own trauma or stress, particularly in light of the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.

In conclusion, I have given a brief overview of the meaning of resilience, not only as a supporting mechanism for the individual to bounce back to their ‘normal state of functioning’ following episodes of trauma or stress, but also as a dynamic model, with the possibility for post traumatic growth in the longer term. I have taken a holistic view of resilience programmes in education    acknowledging resilience as a “complex multi-systemic dynamic process” (Mesman, Vreeker and Hillegers (2021:587) and suggested a tentative framework based on the individual, family, school culture and links to the wider society. Finally, I discussed the identified need for a ‘trusted adult’  that has proved to be such a crucial support for children and young people in their ability to cope with adversity. In education, the role of ‘trusted adult’ requires discussion and ongoing support to protect both the child and adult. A whole school approach to fostering resilience recognises the necessity of our collective efforts to nurture the positive growth suggested in response to stressors so that we can thrive even within the certainty of our own uncertain futures.

Ashton, K., Davies, A.R., Hughes, K. et al. Adult support during childhood: a retrospective study of trusted adult relationships, sources of personal adult support and their association with childhood resilience resources. BMC Psychol 9, 101 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00601-x

Bellis MA, Hardcastle K, Ford K, Hughes K, Ashton K, Quigg Z, Butler N. Does continuous trusted adult support in childhood impart life-course resilience against adverse childhood experiences – a retrospective study on adult health-harming behaviours and mental well-being. BMC Psychiatry. 2017 Mar 23;17(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1260-z. Erratum in: BMC Psychiatry. 2017 Apr 13;17 (1):140. PMID: 28335746; PMCID: PMC5364707.

Mesman E, Vreeker A, Hillegers M. Resilience and mental health in children and adolescents: an update of the recent literature and future directions. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2021 Nov 1;34(6):586-592. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000741. PMID: 34433193; PMCID: PMC85003

Dr Julianne Brown
NEC Member
NAPCE

AWARDS: Entry for NAPCE Awards 2024 Closes in Just One Month 

Entry to National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education Closes on April 19th – ENTER/NOMINATE NOW

Entry to the fifth annual National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education closes in just one month.

The NAPCE Awards is the first and only awards scheme dedicated to recognising outstanding achievements in the field of pastoral care in education.The closing date for all categories this year will be Friday, 19th April, 2024, but there’s no reason to delay, get your entries in now.

The Presentation Ceremony will take place at the County Ground, Worcester in October 2024.

Just like in previous years, the finalists of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education will be selected by an independent judging panel and invited to attend the ceremony to share the experience with peers and find out who wins each Award.

NAPCE is inviting nominations in the following categories;

Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
International Contribution to Pastoral Care

You can enter the NAPCE categories here Enter here

Nominations are encouraged for awards across different categories from schools and educational establishments and you DO NOT need to currently be a member of NAPCE to take part.

NAPCE Awards 2024 is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through our social media, website and those of our partners, the Awards raises awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

The Awards also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the impact the work of pastoral staff is having on the development and well-being of young people.

The decisions about prize winners in each category will be made by a panel of invited professionals.

There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

The criteria for the NAPCE awards are;

•Pastoral School of the Year
A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school

•Pastoral Team of the Year
A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with

•Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success

•Pastoral Leader of the Year
Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with

•Pastoral Development of the Year
A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people

•Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people

•Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care

•International Contribution to Pastoral CareAn international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

Nominations for the NAPCE Awards are welcome from member schools and institutions and from schools and institutions that are not currently members of NAPCE.

AWARDS: Great Practice from the NAPCE Awards 2023 – Episode 5

The National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2023 – Sharing Good Practice – Episode 5

The NAPCE Awards 2023 was an amazing success, bigger than ever with a record number of entries and a sold-out event.

Every year we share a huge number of great examples of excellent practice in pastoral care and we’re proud to share some of these with you in NAPCE News which may help guide and inspire your own work.

For this fifth episode we’re focussing on the category Pastoral Team of the Year.
Pastoral Team of the YearThis award is for:

A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with.

In 2023 it was sponsored by Connect to Purpose.

Connect to Purpose is a charity on a mission to provide retreats for rest and renewal to support young people who are struggling, working holistically with them and their families.

More information can be found on the charity’s website at https://www.connecttopurpose.co.uk

The winner for 2023, announced at the grand presentation event in Worcester, in September was The Pastoral Team at Stockport Academy.

Here are some of the comments that were made about the 2023 winner of this award in the nomination.

Pastoral Team, Stockport Academy

The pastoral team at Stockport Academy includes 5 heads of year, 5 pastoral managers, a positive behaviour mentor, full time counsellor, EHA coordinator, MUF behaviour mentor, home liaison officer, attendance support team, young carers lead, mental health lead, safeguarding lead/ team.  The school has invested heavily in response to student need, and to ensure that the Academy remains proactive rather than reactive for students and families.  The team works with over 1000 students many of whom are vulnerable.

Each member of the team always put students first working collectively to ensure that not only students, but families also thrive.  The team fully believe that they nurture community that is within and outside school contributing to positive family lives and the happiness and success of all as a result – the impact of their contribution is immeasurable.   Students are unanimous that they feel happy and safe in school; they have access to support and have a number of trusted adults around them.

The attendance team work tirelessly ensuring that students attend school to develop social interactions, knowledge, and aspirations for the future.  Attendance is above national average post pandemic due to a range of interventions. The team are rewards driven, celebrating, and recognising engagement with school with trips to the cinema, pizza lunches, vouchers or family takeaways providing positive experiences for all and engaging families in this priority.   The safeguarding team are relentless in supporting the most vulnerable students. The safeguarding team has been celebrated as exceptional practice with their proactive approach supporting early help and teaching safeguarding, in addition to responding to crisis.  The team, work with all staff in addition to agencies to provide classes for parents regarding issues arising such as self-harm or anxiety.

Heads of Year/Pastoral managers work to meet every possible need for students that may be a barrier to their ultimate success resolving issues as soon as possible and celebrating student effort and achievement alongside values and qualities demonstrated by students such as kindness and teamwork.  Heads of year nurture a sense of community and care of others, working to engage parents on a daily basis in ensuring that students meet high expectations to underpin their aspirations and ambitions for themselves.     The  pastoral team together, ensure that all students are supported in developing firm foundations to have happy and successful lives and be successful at school.

Here are some of the comments made in the nominations for the other finalists in this category.

Pastoral Team at Shireland Collegiate Academy

Shireland Collegiate Academy is a large, inner city secondary school in Smethwick, Sandwell in the West Midlands.  Shireland sits at the heart of a diverse community.  This diversity in both ethnicity, culture and religion is a core strength of the school that helps to guide our principle of promoting cohesion amongst the student body.  This is enabled in a large part, by the outstanding pastoral team, and the school is very proud of the level of pastoral care that they give to the students.  At Shireland Collegiate Academy, they promote to staff that we are all pastoral leaders.  This is led by an exemplar pastoral team, who guide and support tutors, students, and their families. The aim is to have a school where students are happy and achieve well above their potential and is somewhere that they feel valued and important. Students are encouraged to be ambitious for themselves and others and feel that they can achieve their dreams.

The school has a dedicated mental health webpage, where students are invited to self-reflect on how they are feeling at the end of each week by selecting an emoji of how they are feeling alongside a comment which they will know their form tutors will read.  Tutors and Heads of Year analyse the results which can facilitate conversations with students who have raised a concern.  This ensures that our pastoral team work closely with the student and family to address the concerns or barriers they may feel which could impact on their mental wellbeing and academic success. Heads of Year and Senior Teacher meet on a fortnightly basis with student support agencies within school to discuss interventions and strategies to help support students and their families.

The school has developed a bespoke rewards system for our academy called EPraise. The school has a Student Council made up of form representatives, year representatives and our Head/Deputy senior students.  This forum allows all students to voice their suggestions and opinions on how we continue to keep the learning environment a fun and safe space.
The school organised its first ‘Student Council Culture Day’ in November and included cultural dress, foods from around the World, cultural icons and music, poetry and literature and the day finished with a fabulous fashion show.

SENDi Team Tudor Grange Academy Worcester

The SENDi team (Special Education Needs and Disabilities and Inclusion) have worked tirelessly in the last two years, creating a support network for the school to ensure they are meeting the needs of as many pupils as possible.   The team have successfully completed funding bids in their own time to go towards the pastoral support we can offer. This includes successfully taking part in a local founding forum ‘Dragons Den’, where they applied and pitched to secure funding for a school sensory room. The school sensory room is a low sensory space with sensory equipment, available for staff to use for pupil interventions as well as a regulation space for pupils if they so need it.

The pastoral team secured additional funding for a ‘Zen Den’. They sourced local funding, creating a funding bid, to create a calming garden space which they have named the ‘Zen Den’ for all pupils to use. The pastoral team have provided support for all pupil premium pupils.  Any pupil who has experience trauma has specialist trauma intervention.   In the last two years, the pastoral team have created bespoke pathways to help cater for most pastoral concerns:

• My mind matters,
•  Me myself and I,
• Expect Respect,
• Trauma,
• Worries and Wellbeing.

Every pupil up to year 10 has had access and intervention for mental health support. In year 11 we offer anxiety and stress workshops to help aide them during exams.     A new area we have developed is ‘Response’. Each day a member of staff is timetabled to ‘Respond’ to any needs of the pupils during each and every period. This means they have support to re-regulate, discuss thoughts and feelings, and hopefully feel able to reengage in lessons.   They have arranged parent drop ins to support parents and also provide them with the skills to support their child.   Any child with SEMH or a diagnosed need has also been given a profile. This profile lists their needs and what works for them. Any member of staff can access this to better understand the pupils which increases the pupils confidence in the staff.

Institute of Policing’s Work Based Education Officers team

They currently have 18 dedicated Work Based Education Officers (WBEOs) in Staffordshire University’s Institute of Policing, all of whom go above and beyond the traditional assessor duties expected from a WBEO in similar roles. The WBEOs have developed their roles to deliver critical pastoral care and wellbeing support to over 1900 police apprentices currently studying with the university.     The first cohort of Police apprenticeships only started four years ago when Staffordshire University partnered with Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia, and West Midlands Police in 2019. Since then, their WBEO team has grown with our student officer population.

The WBEOs have adapted to the emerging complex needs and emotional experiences of apprentices who work shifts as operational police officers across the partnered forces while spending 20% off the job with their learning and studying for an accredited qualification.    The Institute of Policing’s WBEOs support student officers by monitoring and assessing the students’ progress, signposting them towards key University support services (including additional learning needs, financial support, equality, and diversity services), and even visit students in employment to provide comprehensive support in their work-based education and/or apprenticeship development.  The WBEOs form a crucial connection between the Institute of Policing and partner police forces.

The team members have developed strong relationships with the student officer with each WBEO knowing their student officers by name. They show great determination to help, support and guide the student officers from always being willing to listen to their concerns and provide encouragement or guidance, to using their skills and experience to identify the specific needs of individual students to ensure each officer reaches their potential and successfully passes onto the next stage of their training.    The WBEOs have a significant positive impact on the students they work with. Their approach to pastoral care has helped to create a positive and supportive culture throughout the Institute of Policing, which has led to a plan of support which can meet the wide range of needs student officers may have while on the programme.
Developing the WBEO pastoral care provision was evidence-based. they worked with police and student course representatives to identify issues and create a multi-agency plan of support that can be adapted and changed to meet the diverse needs of every student officer on programme.  Training to become a police officer has many challenges.  It’s a physical role which requires a good level of fitness, it can be emotionally demanding, and the public view of policing can make it a challenge for any junior police officer starting in the force. Add to this the extra studying which student officers have to undertake and it can be a difficult time for many student officers. The support from the WBEO team is pivotal in helping the  cohorts of student officers to  reach their potential, complete their training and successfully graduate to become full time police officers.

Team of Student Managers, Preston College

Preston college has a team of student managers who offer a holistic approach to pastoral care to support enjoyment, achievement, and progression. On a weekly basis, they encourage positive attendance and behaviour and also share a suite of tutorial subjects which enhance the overall college curriculum. They operate an ’open door ‘policy which enables students to drop in and share any issues or concerns and also to celebrate their successes.  Student Managers build fantastic relationships with parents and carers too, establishing mutually beneficial connections to support a student on their learning journey. Parents are invited into college to meet with the student managers and also have a regular phone line to them should they need support, or queries answered. In addition, the team host welcome events and parents’ evenings to further enhance the college /parent relationship.

The suite of tutorial topics is fast paced and relevant to the cohort of 16–19-year-old learners. The material is regularly updated and adapted to suit the range of levels of learner and any higher needs within the groups. The tutorial time is a special time for students. As well as imparting knowledge on current affairs and topical themes it is also a time to explore new ideas and discuss progression.  The pastoral team create and support themed weeks throughout the year including a Health and Wellbeing week. This is an opportunity to bring in a range of external providers and activities and really offer some alternative sessions to the students.

When a student’s world appears to be falling apart, their student manager can often be the key to finding a solution. The team regularly upskill in how to deal with more difficult situations through CPD in suicide prevention, sexual health, eating disorders and many more.  Working closely with the College safeguarding and counselling team, they are able to support the student to a successful outcome. The team is made up of individuals who will not leave any stone unturned in the quest to support the student and place them back on track.  The team have upskilled in mental health awareness and offer creative solutions to timetables and to ways of working to smooth the process and continue with academic progress.  When it comes to time for students to move on, the team play a key role in encouraging and supporting the chosen student path. This may be through arranging external and internal speakers, supporting apprenticeship applications, arranging careers team appointments, or checking CVs. They also play a pivotal role in checking UCAS applications, making suggestions and also attaching references. The role becomes key to raising aspirations and supporting progression into their desired future, beyond college.

Congratulations to everybody nominated for Pastoral Team of the Year Award in 2023. The nominations for the 2024 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education are now open. All the details are available on the NAPCE website www.napce.org.uk. Follow the link to make a nomination to recognise and value contributions to good practice in pastoral care in education.

Making a nomination for the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 organised by NAPCE.

It is easy to make a nomination for the Awards to recognise good practice in the eight categories and it only takes a few minutes.

Entry closes April 19th, 2024.

Here is some guidance on how to make your nomination.

• Visit our nomination page here https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2024-entry-form/
• Or go to www.napce.org.uk and click on the link for the awards.
• This takes you to the page where you can make your nomination.
• Read the information about the criteria for each category.
• Provide your contact details as the nominee and the name of the person or organisation you are nominating with their email contact details on the form provided.
• Click on the button to select the appropriate category for your nomination.
• In the box provided provide information and any evidence to support you nomination.

You can make a nomination for another person or organisation, or self-nominations are also welcome.

You have 750 word available to describe the reasons for your nomination to the judges.

You do not have to use all 750 words and the best nominations are concise and clear.

Explain what makes your nomination an example of good practice.

Describe how it makes a difference in the learning experience of children and young people.

Give examples of actions that have been taken and outcomes that have been achieved.

Explain why you are proud of this nomination.

Make your nomination now to recognise good practice and achievements in pastoral care in education.

EVENTS: NAPCE Annual General Meeting 2024 – Details Announced  

NAPCE AGM 2024 – Details Announced

The Association’s Annual General Meeting will take place at 1-00pm on Saturday 18^th May.

The meeting will be held at Mixing Networks, Second Floor, 36 Spital Square, London E1 6DY, in the heart of Spitalfields Market. All members are invited to attend the meeting.

Please contact events@napce.org.uk to confirm that you will be attending and to ensure that you are sent the agenda and other documents for the meeting.

Please also use the same email to register to attend online to ensure that you are sent the documentation and the link.

The AGM will include reports on the activities of the Association in the last 12 months and reports from the officers.

We hope all members will make every effort to attend to be fully informed about the Association and to share any views or ideas.

Save the Date

The NAPCE Annual Conference will take place on Friday 11^th October from 10-30 am until 3-00pm.

The venue will be the Graeme Hick Pavilion, at Worcestershire County Cricket Club in Worcester.

The title for the conference is ‘Good Practice in Pastoral Care in Education’.

This will be followed in the evening by the grand presentation event for the 2024 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education at the same venue.

Further details will be available soon on the NAPCE page on Eventbrite and in future editions of the NAPCE Newsletter. 

EVENT: FREE NAPCE Spring Conference – LAST CHANCE TO BOOK

FREE NAPCE 2024 Online Spring Conference – LAST CHANCE TO BOOK

Just a few tickets remain for the FREE NAPCE Online Conference on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024.

Following the huge success of the online Spring Conference events organised by NAPCE in recent years we are pleased to announce plans for the 2024 event.

It will take place from 7-00pm-8-30pm and the title is ‘Achieving outstanding personal development and pastoral care in 21st century schools’.

The Keynote presentation will be from Shaun McInerney who is the School Leadership and Strategy Lead at the University of Worcester.
 
Shaun has led in five start-up schools in England and India. He was a Senior Leader in a successful, large inner-city school in Liverpool and was the founding Principal (and latterly Executive Principal) of The Studio, Liverpool from its inception in 2013 to 2019.

Ofsted rated the Studio’s personal development as outstanding and noted their success in turning around the lives of young people.

In 2019 Shaun returned to international sixth form college, UWC Atlantic, as Director of Curriculum Innovation, pioneering their Changemaker curriculum.

Shaun continues to work at a system level with the Edge Foundation and international NGO, Ashoka, developing an ecosystem to help schools respond and meet the needs of young people in a rapidly changing world.

He has developed the New Capabilities for a New World Programme which is supporting Principals and system leaders in Greater Manchester to develop their leadership and strategy to enable young people gain fair access to the economic opportunities in their region.

The Schedule
 
7-00pm – Welcome and introduction, Phil Jones, National Chair, NAPCE
 
7-05pm – Presentation, Shaun McInerney, the School Leadership and Strategy Lead at the University of Worcester.
 
7-45pm Pastoral Question Time
Chaired by Phil Jones, National Chair, NAPCE
Panel 
 

• Shaun McInerney, School Leadership and Strategy Lead, University of Worcester
• Professor Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College, Belfast
• Dr Mark Diacopoulos, Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Leadership, Pittsburg State University, USA
• Dr Caron Carter, Senior Lecturer in early childhood/childhood, Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University.
• Maria O’Neill, educationalist, and author of ‘Proactive Pastoral Care. Nurturing happy, healthy, and successful learners.’

• Victoria Raynor, Director Raynor Safeguarding Ltd,

Questions and discussion about current pastoral issues and topics.

Book your free tickets for this event on Eventbrite. Remember to book your tickets early as in previous years all available tickets have been reserved several weeks in advance.

Follow the link to book tickets https://NAPCESPRINGEVENT24.eventbrite.co.uk
Enquiries email admin@napce.org.uk

There are a few tickets still available for this event. Reserve your ticket today to avoid disappointment!

LEAD ARTICLE: “Our School Approach to Pastoral Care and Wellbeing” by NAPCE NEC Member Jason Sannegadu

Our School Approach to Pastoral Care and Wellbeing by Jason Sannegadu

There is no denying that our beautiful island, Jeju (South Korea), is an absolute paradise.

According to the Jeju Tourism Association, 13,889,502 people visited Jeju in 2022, the majority of whom were domestic tourists, visiting for both recreation and sightseeing.

When we consider the pivotal role that wellbeing places in our lives, it is no surprise that many are drawn to the healing nature and escapism that it provides.

We have increasingly become more aware of the importance of taking care of ourselves, looking after our own mental health and seeking a work life balance.

For many of us in pastoral care, we have become increasingly aware of the challenges that face our students, including an upwards trend in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Current research shows that: “better student-rated school climate, at the student and school level was associated with lower risk of depression, fewer social-emotional-behavioral difficulties and higher wellbeing [in young people]” Hinze, et.al, (2023).

We divide our pastoral calendar by the PERMA model themes which enables us to teach the key concepts of wellbeing so that we can help students to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Each school takes their own approach to pastoral themes, but for us these sit incredibly well with our House-based structure, allowing us to address a number of issues not just through our pastoral curriculum, but also through a unique feature of our school; House Competition.

Focusing on Positive Health after Christmas, we have built upon a number of issues that we are facing as a school, such as cyberbullying and the effect of excessive electronic device use by students.

As a school we are proud of our pastoral care and have invested heavily in ensuring that we not only support students, but also have effective strategies in place to be proactive.

“A positive school culture has been associated with positive child and youth development, effective risk prevention and health promotion efforts, with extensive evidence for the impact on student mental health” (Jessiman et al, 2022). 

It is important that as educators we recognise the power of collaboration and that everyone who works with a student has a pastoral responsibility.

I am indebted to the Heads of House; they are bold and courageous, working hard to develop house ethos at NLCS Jeju and have ensured that all of our students are well cared for.

They are great advocates for students, continually see the best in them, look for opportunities for all students to succeed and work collaboratively together to address issues and create solutions.

Our approach to strengthening vertical relationships between students has been incredibly successful.

Our tutors are fabulous role models for students and are quick to notify us of issues that arise, whether through our school management information system or directly to their Head of House whom they meet each morning as they visit each of our tutor rooms.

We should never underestimate the power that relationships have in pastoral care. Our focus on developing positive relationships, providing opportunities for students to share experiences together, prioritising 1-1 conversations between tutors and students in the morning and ensuring that House leaders are visible, present and supportive have helped promote and develop a family atmosphere.

This year we have taken a whole school approach to tracking student wellbeing and have introduced new software that enables us to give students short surveys every two weeks that enable us to make positive and effective interventions. \

Whilst its implementation in the Senior School is still in its infancy, we have a structured plan of how we will use the data to help us to map out the challenges that particular year groups face and it is also making us reconsider how we can best strategically consider how to address certain issues.

One way is by ensuring that our Personal, Social and Development (PSD) programme is not just contextually specific to our students, but also provides a safe space for students to learn about challenges they will encounter and what they can do.

For this to be effective, we need to listen to feedback from both students and members of staff. As part of this review: we will gather feedback from students on how well the curriculum is supporting them, gather feedback from teachers of PSD regarding the curriculum content and how well students have engaged with it and also our pastoral teams regarding key issues that we are facing across the school.

Most importantly, during Parent Workshops we gather feedback and will also use this to help us develop both our tutor programme and PSD programme.

As I mentioned, we have spent a few months gathering essential data via surveys. The data told us that our students across most year groups are scoring consistently low with regards to sleep, digital wellbeing and overall physical health.

Within our pastoral programme we decided to focus on ‘digital detoxing’.

The aim is to:

• Raise awareness of unhealthy tech habits amongst students and address a school priority which is developing and strengthening a wellbeing culture
• Inform parents about their role in supporting children and the challenges that students face
• Respond to issues identified by our wellbeing tracker and also general pastoral issues that we are encountering

We held a parent workshop, inviting parents into school to learn about the challenges that their children face, raising awareness of cyberbullying and how we were responding to it, including a new restorative approach that we are looking to implement from August 2024 and also some practical ideas on how parents can monitor electronic devices and consider appropriate boundaries.

During tutor time we have a number of focused activities that raise awareness about how students can develop a healthy relationship with technology and in our PSD lessons our Year 7 students are encouraged to reflect upon their device use and challenge themselves to make one change.

We are also very fortunate to have a number of prominent and highly effective student organisations such as the Student Council and the Student Welfare Awareness Group that run activities during break and lunchtime, as well as leading whole school assemblies.

Next steps for us?

Recently I attended a training session run virtually by the PSHE Association and this encouraged me to reflect upon the training needs of our PSD teachers and Tutors.

As a result of this, I have written a strategic training plan to support our pastoral work. We will look to create a PSD sheet for tutors so that they are aware of the challenges that students are facing within a year group, the curriculum that they are learning and what tutors can do to support their tutees.

We are also integrating our Peer Mentoring system into our House system (previously it sat outside of this), as this will enable us to provide a designated time for the mentee and mentor to meet during tutor time, rather than finding a break or lunchtime and it will greatly facilitate a much stronger relationship that will enable trust and rapport to be developed.

I owe a great deal to a significant number of committed and dedicated members of staff who are working collaboratively to support student wellbeing and whilst our students may not always say it, I know that they very much appreciate all of the support we are able to offer.

Jason Sannegadu
NEC Member
NAPCE

AWARDS: Entry for NAPCE Awards 2024 Closes in Two Months 

Entry to National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education Closes on April 19th

Entry to the fifth annual National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education closes in just under two months.

The NAPCE Awards is the first and only awards scheme dedicated to recognising outstanding achievements in the field of pastoral care in education.The closing date for all categories this year will be Friday, 19th April, 2024, but there’s no reason to delay, get your entries in now.

The Presentation Ceremony will take place at the County Ground, Worcester in October 2024.

Just like in previous years, the finalists of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education will be selected by an independent judging panel and invited to attend the ceremony to share the experience with peers and find out who wins each Award.

NAPCE is inviting nominations in the following categories;

Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
International Contribution to Pastoral Care

You can enter the NAPCE categories here Enter here

Nominations are encouraged for awards across different categories from schools and educational establishments and you DO NOT need to currently be a member of NAPCE to take part.

NAPCE Awards 2024 is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through our social media, website and those of our partners, the Awards raises awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

The Awards also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the impact the work of pastoral staff is having on the development and well-being of young people.

The decisions about prize winners in each category will be made by a panel of invited professionals.

There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

The criteria for the NAPCE awards are;

•Pastoral School of the Year
A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school

•Pastoral Team of the Year
A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with

•Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success

•Pastoral Leader of the Year
Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with

•Pastoral Development of the Year
A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people

•Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people

•Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care

•International Contribution to Pastoral CareAn international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

Nominations for the NAPCE Awards are welcome from member schools and institutions and from schools and institutions that are not currently members of NAPCE.

AWARDS: Great Practice from the NAPCE Awards 2023 – Episode 4

The National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2023 – Sharing Good Practice – Episode 4

The NAPCE Awards 2023 was an amazing success, bigger than ever with a record number of entries and a sold-out event.

Every year we share a huge number of great examples of excellent practice in pastoral care and we’re proud to share some of these with you in NAPCE News which may help guide and inspire your own work.

For this fourth episode we’re focussing on the category Pastoral Development of the Year.
Pastoral Development of the YearThis award is for:

A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people.

In 2023 it was sponsored by Sponsored by Crown House Publishing.

The winner for 2023, announced at the grand presentation event in Worcester, in September was Raymond Heron, St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School

Here are some of the comments that were made about the 2023 winner of this award in the nomination.

St Mary’s Grammar School Belfast is an all-boys Catholic Voluntary Grammar School located on the Glen Road in West Belfast. The school was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1866 and moved to its current site in 1968. St. Mary’s has over 1,200 students aged 11-19. Under the Edmund Rice Trust Charter our vision is to promote full personal and social development in a Christian community of teaching and learning.   St. Mary’s was a traditional boys grammar school with a strong discipline policy built on sanctions and historically written in negative language with a significant slant towards ‘do not do… ‘, ‘you must not… There were a significant number of suspensions for various misbehaviours. Mrs Siobhan Kelly was appointed as Principal in January 2019 and since then there has been a change in the language used, the messages and guidance given to the boys and the way in which behaviour is managed. There is an emphasis on restoration and learning and pupil accountability for their own actions.  The process started with establishing our baseline position, reviewing our Discipline Policy and with the help of the whole school community establishing a new ‘Positive Behaviour Management Policy’. We have reviewed documentation including the Code of Conduct, Home School Agreement and provided training for staff in Restorative language to use with the students.

Mr Raymond Herron (senior teacher) led the introduction and development of Restorative Justice starting this process in 2021-2022. The aim to introduce a Restorative justice process which would address indiscipline more effectively as provide an alternative to the existing sanctions.  They were fortunate enough to be assisted by an external trainer who delivered training to the whole staff, with additional monthly ‘cafes’ for our Pastoral Leadership team.

They have introduced the use of restorative language across the school and even when serious issues do arise students are welcomed back to school and the classroom with a positive restorative meeting. Staff have been provided with guide sheets to help them choose their language carefully. Pupils, Parents/ carers, and staff feel that they have a voice, there is pupil accountability, support from parents and a way forward for the boys. Positive student reflection and learning are taking place and there has been a significant reduction in poor behaviours and the need for detentions and suspensions. There is an understanding among the school community about the value of restorative conversations.

The students are now more accountable for their own behaviour and as a result are behaving well in school. The partnership between home and school is also more positive as we work together to educate our boys.   Across the school site there are visual displays promoting ‘Restorative Values’ with restorative words and phrases displayed in the classrooms in the school.   Obviously in a large boys’ grammar school situated in an area of social disadvantage incidences of misbehaviour do arise from time to time. On those occasions where a suspension from school has been issued, they now use a ‘Restorative based template’ to lead the return from suspension meeting.   They have recorded a 41% reduction in incidences across the school with visibly better behaviour from the boys. There is now an understanding that the boys are accountable for their own behaviour and will have to sit down and work through behaviours if needed. The number of boys reoffending has reduced to 3.2% which is significant. More importantly there is now a major reduction on lost learning due to suspensions from school.  Pupil voice exercises indicated that the students wanted to see more rewards for good behaviour. The school have now introduced ‘Celebration Days’ and asked the students what type of rewards they most value. They indicated a preference for vouchers to purchase ‘Sports’ gear and we have put these in place. Significantly introducing two awards for each class, one of which is for the ‘most improved pupil’.   The school are now moving to create a working group of Restorative Practitioners who can assist our Form Teachers and Heads of Year with conflict resolution outside the classroom.

Here are some of the comments made in the nominations for the other finalists in this category.

Christ the King Sixth Forms, pastoral development of the year was developing a new and innovative pastoral support and inclusion programme for 15–17-year-old Ukrainians who had been displaced with their families as a result of the war in Ukraine.  The initiative came about after an approach from Bexley Council in April 2022 asking if there was anything we could do to support these young people who had already been so tragically affected by having to flee as refugees from the war in their country. Many of these young people had been traumatized by their experiences added to which many did not speak any English.     The school rose to the challenge and within two weeks had developed and implemented a new pastoral “Community Learning Programme” designed to welcome and help to settle and integrate these young people into the community while preparing them to enter study in the following academic year.     The approach took was to involve several teams from across the College to ensure that the programme fully met the needs of the young people involved.  The “Community Learning Programme” involved the young people attending College one day every week with a timetable including English, sport, pastoral care, careers guidance, and chaplaincy support.   The aim of the programme was to welcome and nurture the young people while trying to return some degree of normality to their lives, and to help them integrate into the local community and prepare to re-enter their studies the following September.

Initially the Ukrainian students and the staff and students at Christ the King relied heavily on ‘Google Translate’, but as the programme progressed their conversational English developed well through their English classes, and the young people began to open up and start to enjoy learning again. They were encouraged to take part in indoor and outdoor sports and games to help them integrate with their peers and further develop their language skills and this enabled them to start to feel more integrated into the local Community.  Underpinning these activities was the constant wrap around support and guidance for the young people from our ALS, Chaplaincy and Pastoral Teams enabling them to have a quiet and safe place to talk about any concerns or worries they may have and helping them to resolve these.  During the term of the programme the young people also received careers and education advice and guidance and help with their applications for their next steps.    Fr Mark Blakely, vicar of the local Catholic Church wrote to Bexley Council commending the programme saying: “I just wanted to drop a quick line to say how good the staff at Christ the King Sidcup were today towards Bohdan. Mrs Crampton and Miss Twomey reached out to him with genuine love and care. This was the first time he had been out independently from his parents since leaving Ukraine. He left feeling very happy and relaxed with a big smile. They are obviously going ‘above and beyond’ to include Ukrainians into college life, and I would be grateful if their efforts could be acknowledged.

St. Louis Grammar School Ballymena decided that a targeted mentoring programme needed to be offered to students. Pastoral support is more important than ever due to the adverse impact of COVID 19.  The last couple of years have had a notable influence upon post-primary students. The impact of ongoing uncertainty, online learning, and a lack of social opportunities have all been widely documented in the field of education. A mentoring programme was needed to bridge the gap resulting from such difficulties and to provide the necessary support to students who needed it academically and personally. The ‘Targeted Mentoring Programme’ was established to bring back a degree of control and to empower students with the feeling that they have some influence over their educational journey.    The school established the ‘Targeted Mentoring Programme’ by recruiting two mentors (one male and one female).  Staff met to devise a vision to raise achievement and the self-esteem of pupils across all Key Stages. The mentors trained all teaching staff in August 2021 so that they would understand the importance of Targeted Mentoring.  They explained the reasoning, anticipated impact, and referral process.  Teachers were allocated dedicated time on their timetable to meet on a one-to-one basis with selected and referred students from year 8 – 14.  The mentors received external training from Learn Spark in August 2021 and in June 2022.   Each student is referred as a collaborative effort. Head of Year, Heads of Department, class teachers, SENCO and pastoral leaders all have input.  When accepted onto the programme, parental contact is made to explain the process and seek consent to meet with their child.    By using a range of strategies discussed at weekly mentoring meetings, the mentors aim to.

• – Raise academic achievement
•  – Improve behaviour and wellbeing
• – Raise self-esteem

• – Improve motivation

In each individual mentee book pupils will find:

• – a timetable to organise their week
• – graphic organisers to help with revisions and note taking

•  – activities to identify barriers to learning

Class teachers are encouraged to feedback on notable improvements.  The meeting information and information from teachers are stored in a private folder.  Pupils usually have a six-week block of mentoring sessions, however, based on need, the programme may be extended.  The process of evaluation takes place throughout the year and data is established from internal and external assessments, classroom teacher observation, parental feedback, and student voice. Parent and student voice are forming the basis of targets for next year and based on evaluation results.   The success of young people’s educational experience is heavily determined by the attitudes that they bring to their learning, their sense of aspiration and the feelings they have about their place in the broader social context of the school. The mentors use PASS results to respond to improvement needs as identified by the students through intervention to help raise standards of attainment.    The three areas identified as applicable to targeted mentoring are,

• Factor 2 Perceived Learning Capability,
• Factor 3 Self-Regard as a Learner, and

• Factor 7 Confidence in Learning.

This identification allowed a more pointed approach and as such, students were identified by these factors and were entered onto the targeted mentoring programme after consultation with HOY, parents, SENCo and pupil.
In August 2022 the team presented their impressive evaluation results to the staff and identified sustained improvement in terms of academic achievement with internal assessments, GCSE and A Level examinations.

The Inclusion Hub at Friern Barnet School is an internal alternative provision that seeks to ensure parity of opportunity for all by allowing teachers to teach, students to learn and those with additional needs to be supported to remain in mainstream education.   It is an innovative, supportive, and intervening base staffed by skilled individuals who have the training and personal mindset to interact effectively and positively with our most challenging and vulnerable cohorts.   In two years since the initiative was set up only 1 student has been permanently excluded from the school. Through personal development sessions, students have developed social skills and an awareness of appropriate responses. The success of this has seen a reduction in confrontational or disruptive behaviours around the school.  Through bespoke academic, pastoral, and therapeutic interventions, students’ active participation has improved in lessons as well as reading ages, allowing for more confident access to the curriculum. The school have also seen relationships improve between students and teachers on this basis and through the use of restorative approaches.

Through 1-1 mentoring, vulnerable students feel listened to and have   an opportunity to discuss underlying issues that may be impacting their behaviour.   Significant behavioural incidents have reduced as a result, as staff are able to manage these situations for them and guide them to appropriate decision making and to the process of resolution.   Student voice data indicates that student morale and attendance has also improved.   With a combination of all these inputs and outputs, the Inclusion Hub continues to contribute to success measures that benefit far beyond our school, and into society. These include:

• – A reduction in suspensions and permanent exclusions
• – Prevention or reduction of student involvement in anti-social behaviour

• – An increase in the number of students who remain engaged in their learning

The Inclusion Hub has offered young people an opportunity to receive high quality and consistent support, both in their educational progress and their personal development.  The introduction of the Inclusion Hub has also contributed to overall inclusive educational practices at Friern Barnet School. With continuous professional learning around topics such as Restorative Approaches, SEMH needs in children and young people, and the factors related to behavioural challenge, teachers are becoming increasingly reflective of how their approach to teaching can foster a positive learning environment. Staff have developed an understanding that students are more likely to engage with what they’re being asked to by someone they like, trust and respect and when they feel heard and listened to.

With more students accessing the Inclusion Hub across year groups, this inclusive educational outlook permeates into the whole school as we work to tackle behavioural challenge that is impeding the progress of students that require support and disrupting the learning of their peers. This work in relation to addressing student behaviour takes place in a smaller setting within the main school which has meant that students feel a sense of familiarity and part of a ‘family’.    As one triumphant marker of success, students in the Inclusion Hub engaged in a 10-week project creating a poetry anthology that reflected their likes, lives and how they see the world. Throughout this process they were able to flaunt their sense of humour, their way with words and their personability. This group of students who have never engaged with spoken word before, pushed themselves to the point where they eventually stood up on stage and represented the school at a private viewing of a professional arts exhibition. They then performed poems from their anthology to an audience of parents, teachers, and friends.

Leighton Park School has always had a strong culture of pastoral care and wellbeing support as part of its Quaker roots. Moments of silence, personal reflection and openness distinguish the school culture, including regular Meetings for Worship, Collects, acts of random kindness, and community service. However, the global pandemic and recent world events have undoubtedly had a huge impact on levels of low mood, anxiety and fatigue across many schools and communities. Consequently, the school needed to devise a strategic and innovative pastoral care approach to support early identification of students and, most recently, staff at risk of poor mental health difficulties.    A recent innovative pastoral care project has been the development and implementation of a state-of-the-art digital wellbeing app. Working closely with EdTech startup (youHQ.co.uk), the school have been the first pilot school in the world where all students have used the platform to log their mood (using a 5-point emoji scale) and attribute reasons why they may be feeling a particular way. Students also complete a fortnightly, validated wellbeing survey (WHO-5, World Health Organisation survey), and access the latest resources and support area on the app to best assist their wellbeing and mental health.   The wellbeing data is pulled across from the student dashboards to the pastoral hub where tutors can track their tutees and pastoral leaders can monitor and filter students using current and average mood scores and wellbeing percentages. The mood score also provides a mood profile graph to create an overview of the student’s individual perception of mood over time.

Staff can log any safeguarding concerns directly through this hub as we have created strong links with our safeguarding provider, ‘MyConcern’. The data has facilitated high quality, pastoral focused and individualised conversations between staff and students. Staff can now pinpoint triggers of low mood and advise on useful resources, some of which sit within the app to support them.  This innovative wellbeing app has been impactful. Students feel valued and staff feel empowered to support their students. The collate feedback from staff and students every half term to monitor the effectiveness of this app. Some impact data includes:

• 84% of students believe ‘youHQ’ has been beneficial to their overall wellbeing and mental health.

•  92% of staff believe ‘youHQ’ has supported them in their role as a tutor;

Other students have reached out via the app with self-harm related feelings or even suicidal thoughts. Early intervention before these issues become even more serious has been so important in the school and helped create a safer environment. Implementing the app alongside other screening tools such as AS tracking, SDQ questionnaires, Boxall profiles, and forensic safeguarding monitoring filters enable pastoral staff to be more proactive rather than reactive in their implementation of bespoke pastoral plans which may include therapeutic interventions such as: counselling, CBT, drawing and talking therapy, and pet therapies.

The school have 26 adult mental health first aiders and so far, six student mental health first aiders to support staff and students, including excellent external links to psychological and psychiatric services and employer assistance programmes.    The school have been the first school to pilot the teacher wellbeing version of this app. Staff volunteers have been logging mood and completing surveys on their wellbeing so line managers can best support them.       The innovative ‘youHQ’ app and other complimentary proactive screening measures have helped the school to identify those at risk and those who need extra support.

Congratulations for everybody nominated for Pastoral Member of year in 2023. The nominations for the 2024 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education are now open. All the details are available on the NAPCE website www.napce.org.uk. Follow the link to make a nomination to recognise and value contributions to good practice in pastoral care in education.

Making a nomination for the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 organised by NAPCE.

It is easy to make a nomination for the Awards to recognise good practice in the eight categories and it only takes a few minutes.

Here is some guidance on how to make your nomination.

• Visit our nomination page here https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2024-entry-form/
• Or go to www.napce.org.uk and click on the link for the awards.
• This takes you to the page where you can make your nomination.
• Read the information about the criteria for each category.
• Provide your contact details as the nominee and the name of the person or organisation you are nominating with their email contact details on the form provided.
• Click on the button to select the appropriate category for your nomination.
• In the box provided provide information and any evidence to support you nomination.

You can make a nomination for another person or organisation, or self-nominations are also welcome.

You have 750 word available to describe the reasons for your nomination to the judges.

You do not have to use all 750 words and the best nominations are concise and clear.

Explain what makes your nomination an example of good practice.

Describe how it makes a difference in the learning experience of children and young people.

Give examples of actions that have been taken and outcomes that have been achieved.

Explain why you are proud of this nomination.

Make your nomination now to recognise good practice and achievements in pastoral care in education.

EVENT: A Report from the ASCL Pastoral Care Conference 2024

NAPCE was pleased to partner the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) once again in the planning and organisation of its annual conference for pastoral leaders.

This year the conference took place in Birmingham on Monday 29^th January at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. The title for the 2024 conference was ‘Taking a Proactive Approach to Pastoral Leadership.

Phil Jones National Chair of NAPCE contributed to the planning and attended the conference as a speaker.

The event was well attended with pastoral leaders travelling to Birmingham for across the UK.

NAPCE had a display stand with Anne Jones from the administrative team available to talk to delegates about the work of the Association. It was great to meet several NAPCE members and finalists from the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education organised by NAPCE attending as delegates.

The conference was hosted by Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist for ASCL.

The Keynote presentation was delivered by ASCL General Secretary, Geoff Barton.

Before the conference began Geoff interviewed Phil Jones about the new book edited by NAPCE, ‘Pastoral Care in Education. New directions for new times’ , published by Cambridge Scholars publications in October for his Leaders As Readers podcast. The podcast can be found at ASCL – Leaders are Readers.

In his presentation Geoff announced that today was a landmark day for education with the publication of the Education Select Committee report recommending that single word judgements from Ofsted inspections should end.

He said this is sending a message to the Secretary of State for Education that schools work should not be reduced to a single word. He talked about Michael Marland who was one of the founder members of NAPCE 41 years ago as being the founder of pastoral care in education.

He talked about the “the real safeguard for democracy is education”. In a positive presentation to delegates he reported that the political mood music about education was changing and that there were reasons to be more optimistic about the future.

Geoff steps down from his role as General Secretary and NAPCE would like to thank him for all his support for the Association and for his work in education.

The tough task of following the Keynote presentation went to Zoe Giblin, Assistant Headteacher at Blaise High School, Bristol. She shared with delegates the good practice in behaviour management and pastoral support at the school.

The school has a vision that every child will be able to climb their own personal mountain and that aspiration is free. Mark Rowland’s presentation focused on attendance and absence which is very much in the spotlight now.

He pointed out that it is important to understand challenges being faced by families but to avoid slipping into sympathy which will lower expectations.

He commented that to improve attendance sustained effort is the key to ensure that impact is effective in the long term. In his view the biggest driver of poor attendance is social isolation and effective pastoral care in schools is essential.

He made an interesting point that he felt the social norm regarding school had shifted in recent years with different views about how important school was to children and young people in some families.

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr and her colleagues shared important information with delegates in their presentation about their research into how algorithms popularize and gamify online hate and misogyny for young people.

They reported on how, in collaboration with ASCL, they explored:

1. How is online hate speech and misogyny popularized online?
2. What are the risks to young people?
3. How is this impacting on the ground in schools?

The recommendations from their findings are:-

• Intervention and support for teacher’s concerns have been slow and woefully unable to keep pace with changing technologies and the implications they bring for young people.
• Blame is then often incorrectly placed on teachers to address issues, which primarily take place outside of school hours, or on the young people themselves.
• Our recommendations are both to hold social media platforms accountable, whilst also advocating for a healthy and critical digital education, which involves an iterative and student led approach to this problem.
• These proposed recommendations can only be taken forward with the support and investment of Government. Without such investments, these issues will only become more entrenched and severe.

Actions that they suggested were needed in response were.

• Holding social media companies accountable.
• Implementing healthy digital diet education holistically across the curriculum.
• Peer to peer mentoring to support young people against gender violence and algorithmic harms.
• Wider awareness of algorithmic process for parents and the community at large.

Victoria Rayner, Director of Raynor Safeguarding Ltd followed this with a presentation about Navigating Pastoral Care in a Digital World.

Victoria made some important points that we cannot parent children in the way we were parented because it is a very different world.

This must also be true for the delivery of pastoral care in modern schools. She also pointed out that it is important that schools do not close windows of opportunities for learning and personal development provided by new technologies.

She shared practical ideas with delegates about introducing digital prefects and the importance of having conversations about issues that are important to them with young people.

After lunch there was a lively panel discussion chaired by Phil Jones about what schools can do to deliver proactive pastoral care. The first speaker of the afternoon was Andy McGowan, Policy, and Practice Manager for Carers Trust.

He shared his experience with the help of some young carers in his presentation that had the title, ‘Who are we talking about here and what are we doing to support young carers – visibility and value’.

He reported that eight per cent to 12 per cent of children and young people in schools are carers.

Caleb a young carer made the comment, “we need people like you in pastoral care to notice”.

Important questions were raised for delegates about how you identify young carers in schools and how to support them.

Amelia Thompson the Assistant Director of Education, SEND at Greenshaw Learning Trust was joined by Margaret Mulholland for her presentation ‘Escalating needs of children and young people. The school experience and proactive response’.

They stressed the importance of schools being clear about their vision and mission and to be clear in the choice of language used. The presentation explored how to meet children’s needs and bring equity into practice.

The presentation pointed out that meeting children’s needs is more than quality teaching but there is a need to ensure that learners can access the quality provision.

They highlighted the need to champion good practice and to build capacity for meeting needs.

The final speaker of the afternoon was Tom Middlehurst, the ASCL Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist, who shared information with delegates about Ofsted’s pastoral priorities.

Sir Martyn Oliver who recently became Ofsted HMCI described the purpose of inspection as to tell the sector and parents what the daily life of a child in that school is.

Tom shared his view that single phrased judgements will go at some point and that the focus for inspection will be the lived experience of every young person in the school.

He believed that safeguarding will probably be taken out of inspections when a new framework is introduced to be replaced with an annual review.

He shared useful information with delegates about what inspectors will look for to find out more about the pastoral work of the school.

The delegates left the conference informed about current issues in pastoral work in schools and inspired by the presentations from speakers.

It was also a very useful opportunity to network and to share ideas.

Phil Jones
National Chair
NAPCE
8^th February 2024

EVENTS: Key NAPCE Dates Across the 2024 Calendar – Updated  

NAPCE – Key 2024 Dates for the diary

We’re very proud to announce that the NAPCE year of 2024 is our busiest yet.

We have a whole range of events and meetings planned and we’re delighted to share our latest schedule below.

Updated   8th February 2024.
Dates and times may need to change. 

REPORT: Safer Internet Day 2024 was Supported by NAPCE

NAPCE was pleased, once again, to be a supporter of Safer Internet Day.

National Chair Phil Jones was invited to attend the online planning meetings and the Safer Internet Day event from the BT Tower on 6^th February.

Safer Internet Day has been organised each year since 2011 by the Safer Internet Centre.

This is a partnership of three charities, Childnet, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL who work together to identify threats and harms online and then create and deliver critical advice, resources, education and interventions that help keep children, young people and adults safe. They share best practices across the UK and globally.

In the UK, Safer Internet Day unites millions of young people, schools and organisations to spark conversations on key issues around online safety.

The aim of Safer Internet Day is to make the internet a safer place for children and young people.

The themes for Safer Internet Day 2024 were inspiring change, making a difference and managing influence and navigating change online.

The event included speeches from Government ministers. panels and workshops hosted by young people aged 9 to 18.

The BBC broadcast a live lesson for schools on the day and activities to support Safer Internet Day 2024 took place across the UK and in other countries around the world.

More information can be found on the Safer Internet Centre website https://saferinternet.org.uk and the Safer Internet Day website https://www.saferinternetday.org

EVENT: Fresh Details of FREE NAPCE Spring Conference Revealed – NOW BOOKING

Details of FREE NAPCE 2024 Online Spring Conference Announced

Following the huge success of the online Spring Conference events organised by NAPCE in recent years we are pleased to announce plans for the 2024 event. It will take place on Wednesday 20th March between 7-00pm and 8-30pm. The title is ‘Achieving outstanding personal development and pastoral care in 21st century schools. The Keynote presentation will be from Shaun McInerney who is the School Leadership and Strategy Lead at the University of Worcester.

Shaun has led in 5 start-up schools in England and India. He was a Senior Leader in a successful, large inner-city school in Liverpool and was the founding Principal (and latterly Executive Principal) of The Studio, Liverpool from its inception in 2013 to 2019. Ofsted rated the Studio’s personal development as outstanding and noted their success in turning around the lives of young people. In 2019 Shaun returned to international sixth form college, UWC Atlantic, as Director of Curriculum Innovation, pioneering their Changemaker curriculum.
Shaun continues to work at a system level with the Edge Foundation and international NGO, Ashoka, developing an ecosystem to help schools respond and meet the needs of young people in a rapidly changing world. He has developed the New Capabilities for a New World Programme which is supporting Principals and system leaders in Greater Manchester to develop their leadership and strategy to enable young people gain fair access to the economic opportunities in their region.

This will be followed by a Pastoral Care ‘Question Time’ with an invited panel of educational experts discussing current issues and topics. The experts on the panel include Professor Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Dr Mark Diacopoulos, Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Leadership, Pittsburg State University, USA, Dr Caron Carter, Senior Lecturer in early childhood/childhood, Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University. Victoria Raynor, Director Raynor Safeguarding Ltd, Shaun McInerney School Leadership and Strategy Lead, University of Worcester. and chaired by Phil Jones, National Chair, NAPCE.

Book your free tickets for this event on Eventbrite. Remember to book your tickets early as in previous years all available tickets have been reserved several weeks in advance.

Follow the link to book tickets https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/achieving-outstanding-personal-development-and-pastoral-care-in-schools-tickets-803020956297?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

LEAD ARTICLE: “Pastoral Care Across Borders: Recent Insights from South East Asia” by NAPCE NEC Member Charlie Walker

Pastoral Care Across Borders: Recent Insights from Southeast Asia by Charlie Walker

After graduating last July, I had firm plans to relocate to London and begin a master’s degree.

However, just a few weeks before, a fantastic offer came from EqualEd — an education charity I’d helped to set up — and so I decided to postpone the move.

Leading EqualEd’s research and partnership initiatives across Southeast Asia from September to December, I was tasked with visiting schools, charities and community organisations throughout the region, to identify possible partners and collaborators.

EqualEd is harnessing post-pandemic advancements in online learning by connecting volunteer teachers globally with children in low-resource and remote areas.

Serving as a digital platform, we not only offer high- level teaching in subjects like maths and science, but also foster connections with native English-language speakers.

Rather than replacing existing systems, EqualEd aims to add value to learning communities by providing world-class teaching, as well as resources like lesson plans and student activities.

Complementing this, we also run two additional programmes: one delivering free teacher training from Russell Group universities, and another establishing community-based, digitally-connected learning centres for the benefit of broader communities.

Our volunteer base is diverse, from university lecturers and safeguarding specialists in the UK who provide outstanding teacher training, to maths teachers in India and university students in the US who work directly with students.

The fourteen week trip across Southeast Asia — visiting seven countries in total — also offered an opportunity to delve into my own interest in pastoral care and student wellbeing.

It provided real-life exposure to these crucial aspects in an expansive array of educational settings, allowing me to explore and understand the nuances of support and wellbeing in culturally diverse and resource-limited contexts.

Along the way, I identified seven key areas that impacted pastoral care in the these schools.

First and foremost, these are considerations for EqualEd when delivering lessons and support.

However, whilst some are specific to their context, I hope that they may also be useful for teachers and providers in the UK, both in terms of cultural awareness and shared challenges, and also in providing an insight into a global picture of pastoral care.

1. Limited Resources for Staff and Students:

The pervasive challenge of limited resources in many educational settings directly impacted pastoral care, constraining the availability of support mechanisms. Insufficient funding often results in a shortage of support professionals, or even training for teachers, hindering the provision of pastoral care services to students. This was particularly prevalent in government-run schools across Cambodia and Laos, where teachers had received no training whatsoever on pastoral care, and even resources for basic education such as textbooks or notebooks were lacking.

2. Stigma Around Mental Health:

The deeply ingrained stigma surrounding mental health issues posed a significant obstacle to effective pastoral care in multiple settings. The cultural imperative of ‘saving face’ often appeared to discourage students from seeking help or expressing their struggles openly. Many students that I spoke with said that it was simply something not to be discussed at home or in school, and several had never even heard of the concept.

3. Lack of Defined Pastoral Care Terminology:

The absence of well-defined pastoral care terminology creates communication barriers crucial for addressing emotional and psychological wellbeing. Without a shared language, teachers were unable to explain how they might identify, discuss or implement pastoral care effectively. This linguistic gap underscores the need for a precise and universally understood vocabulary within diverse contexts.

4. Impact of Socioeconomic Disparity:

The stark impact of socioeconomic disparities was obvious. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are very likely to face significant challenges in accessing basic necessities like food and decent shelter. One fantastic project that I visited — the Cambodian Children’s Fund — work tirelessly to address this. There is a significant appreciation for the importance of life beyond the classroom, and so the organisation also provides housing and resources to the families of children living in and around the largest landfill site in Phnom Penh.Providing these basic necessities has not only transformed their lives, but also significantly improved attendance at their schools.

5. Traditional Gender Roles and Expectations:

Traditional gender roles and expectations directly influenced the pastoral care landscape by shaping students’ perceptions of available support. Gender stereotypes appeared to limit students’ willingness to seek help, particularly in cultures where certain issues are associated with specific genders. One project that I visited in a remote region of northern Laos had been established by university students in a nearby city, and specifically encouraged girls from the local community to attend special classes after school, all run by volunteers. Whilst pastoral care was not the focus of these classes, it appears to be a stepping stone in appreciating gender-specific challenges.

6. Inadequate Infrastructure:

Inadequate infrastructure may also hinder the implementation of effective pastoral care initiatives. Beyond insufficient training and support, several students and teachers cited a lack of quiet or private spaces, as well as no time built into the school day to have a break or spend time with friends. One pupil explained to me how he arrived at school at 6.30am in the morning, before leaving at lunchtime to work in a job late into the evening. He had no quiet spaces at school or at home, and very little opportunity to socialise with his friends.

7. Cultural Differences and Approaches:

Cultural differences often influenced the effectiveness of support systems, requiring pastoral care initiatives to match cultural perspectives. For instance, in a community where seeking direct help for emotional issues was considered taboo, a student I spoke with explained how she often relied on indirect means of support, such as confiding in peers or participating in spiritual gatherings to relieve stress.

As part of EqualEd’s teacher training programme, we are aiming to address some of these findings by building a free and universally accessible bank of resources for teachers and support providers. This will include videos, reading and case studies — available in a range of languages — that introduce key pillars in pastoral care and an opportunity to engage with best practice and leading thinkers. Our first resource — an introduction to safeguarding delivered by Sara Hedger who, as Global SVP for Safeguarding and Child Protection at GEMS Education, was responsible for the safeguarding structures protecting over 120,000 students — went live with our website launch last month.

Whilst these insights are invaluable for refining EqualEd’s approach to delivering lessons and support, they may also hold significant relevance beyond the Southeast Asian context. The challenges faced in these regions, from limited resources and mental health stigma to cultural differences and inadequate infrastructure, mirror often universal themes in education. By offering a brief glimpse into some of the dynamics of student support in resource-limited and culturally diverse environments, I hope that these observations provide a broad yet useful insight into aspects of the global state of pastoral care.

Charles Walker
NEC Member
NAPCE

EVENT: Details of FREE NAPCE Spring Conference Revealed – NOW BOOKING

Details of FREE NAPCE 2024 Online Spring Conference Announced

Following the huge success of the online Spring Conference events organised by NAPCE in recent years we are pleased to announce plans for the 2024 event.

It will take place on Wednesday 20^th March between 7-00pm and 8-30pm.

The title is ‘Achieving outstanding personal development and pastoral care in 21^st century schools.’

The keynote presentation will be from Shaun McInerney who is the School Leadership and Strategy Lead at the University of Worcester.

Shaun has led five start-up schools across England and India. He was a Senior Leader in a successful, large inner-city school in Liverpool and was the founding Principal (and latterly Executive Principal) of The Studio, Liverpool from its inception in 2013 to 2019.

Ofsted rated the Studio’s personal development as Outstanding and noted their success in turning around the lives of young people. In 2019 Shaun returned to international sixth form college, UWC Atlantic, as Director of Curriculum Innovation, pioneering their Changemaker curriculum.

Shaun continues to work at a system level with the Edge Foundation and international NGO, Ashoka, developing an ecosystem to help schools respond and meet the needs of young people in a rapidly changing world.

He has developed the New Capabilities for a New World Programme which is supporting Principals and system leaders in Greater Manchester to develop their leadership and strategy to enable young people gain fair access to the economic opportunities in their region.

Sean’s address will be followed by a Pastoral Care ‘Question Time’ with an invited panel of educational experts discussing current issues and topics.

Details will be available on the NAPCE Eventbrite page. National Association for Pastoral Care in Education Events | Eventbrite Book your free tickets for this event on NOW.

Remember to book your tickets early as in previous years all available tickets have been reserved several weeks in advance. The link for information and tickets is
https://NAPCESPRINGEVENT24.eventbrite.co.uk

AWARDS: Great Practice from the NAPCE Awards 2023 – Episode 3

The National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2023 – Sharing Good Practice – Episode 3

The NAPCE Awards 2023 was an amazing success, bigger than ever with a record number of entries and a sold-out event.

Every year we share a huge number of great examples of excellent practice in pastoral care and we’re proud to share some of these with you in NAPCE News which may help guide and inspire your own work.

For this third episode we’re focussing on the category International Contribution to Pastoral Care.
International Contribution to Pastoral CareThis award is for an international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

In 2023 it was sponsored by Global Equality Collective.

The Global Equality Collective (GEC), is a multi-award-winning global community of over 13,000 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) change makers including 300+ DEI subject matter experts, working together to equip, empower and educate. We fuse this knowledge base with groundbreaking technology (the GEC Platform) which enables state-of-the-art analytics and the latest academic research to solve one of the biggest issues in education, which is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Our aim is simple – to make ordinary classrooms extraordinarily inclusive

The winner of the International Contribution to Pastoral Care for 2023, announced at the grand presentation event in Worcester, in September was Charlene Secondary School Kiryandongo Uganda.
 
Here are some of the comments that were made about the 2023 winner of this award in the nomination.
 
“Charlene Secondary School is located in Kiryandongo District in a remote area of western Uganda. It was built and is being supported through Charlene’s Project, a UK charity inspired by Charlene Barr, a young girl, while battling with her own life-threatening illness pledged to raise funds to build a school in Uganda.  Although she did not live to see the school opening, she died aged 20 in 2010, her legacy lives on as staff and students in Charlene Secondary continue on their exciting journey of education. Supported by the charities’ UK/Ugandan Education Advisory Team and managed by Ugandan Charlene Education Foundation. 
 
The school, recognized from the outset the need to establish a school ethos and culture and the importance of involving the whole school community in developing this. Led by the Director and Head Teacher along with teaching staff, their Year 1 action plan focused on developing policies, procedures, and practices for pastoral care. They discussed topics like ethics, values, and standards before producing a draft statement on the vision and values they had for the school and began the task of enshrining these in policy.   A schedule was drawn up which included a fortnightly workshop involving the whole staff to address a range of pastoral issues which they encountered on a daily basis. Each of the two-hour workshops, facilitated by the Charlene Project Advisory Team outlined best practice in pastoral care and offered staff the opportunity to consider cultural adaptations required for their school. The table below provides an insight into the topics covered. The schedule was not followed slavishly, rather, they spend more time on some areas than others making adaptations and changes as required.
 
As in all schools they find the implementation of new initiatives a struggle therefore implicit in the action plan is the monitoring and evaluation process to be used. This includes both qualitative and quantitative approaches and involves all members of the community including parents.  The workload and energy required to develop policies and procedures for each area is daunting. Teachers embark on the planning every Friday at the end of their working day, many will have travelled many miles to get to the school and will endure the same journey home, often in difficult circumstances. Additionally, they will be back in school the following morning as they have a half day teaching timetable on Saturdays. They recognise this is a huge commitment but that it is the foundation for all follow-up work including teaching and learning. Charlene’s Secondary deserves credit and recognition for their commitment to making their school a centre of excellence in Pastoral Care.” 
 
Here are some of the comments made in the nominations for the other finalists in this category.

International School Ikast-Brande
 
International School Ikast-Brande has a high-quality approach to Pastoral Care.   As one of very few international settings in Denmark, with a focal point on Pastoral Care, International School Ikast-Brande educates, prepares, inspires, and creates learners to be best equipped for their future, not only academically, but personally, socially, emotionally, and mentally.   Learners at the school have the opportunity to develop themselves through.

• The spiral PSHE curriculum. 
•  meeting with their homeroom teachers every morning.
• acquire the skills to support one another and themselves following the SMILES programme.
• develop key knowledge of how to live a healthy life through our PE curriculum.
• learn necessary skills and techniques in mentoring. 

• Participating in the unique Life Skills programme.  

With a dedicated Deputy Head of School leading the pastoral care provision of the school, learners have the opportunity to access support quickly, effectively, and efficiently – be it in school or support from the local community.   The school are lucky to have such an excellent pastoral provision & such an impeccable international team of staff paving the way for each and every student.

University of Malta

Over the past years, the University of Malta, have been to promoting pastoral care in education including the wellbeing, resilience and mental health of students and school staff, at an international level, through participation and contribution to experts’ groups at UNESCO and the European Commission (2022-2023). It has developed  and organised programmes for schools and policy makers such as.

• the ‘Rescur Surfing the Waves Programme’, for Early Years and Primary School (revised in 2022), 
• an international virtual summer school on child protection in war and conflict zone in collaboration with the UN (2022), 
• three international summer schools on resilience, mental health and positive development (summer 2023)
• an evaluation of a mental health curriculum developed through an EU funded project (PROMEHS, Promoting Mental Health in Schools) (2022).
• Developed the first Master Programme in Transdisciplinary Childhood Studies (started first time in October 2020 at the University of Malta) and of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Resilience in Education (starting in October 2023).
• publication of numerous papers, research reports and book chapters on the mental health, wellbeing and resilience of school children, particularly marginalised ones.
• training of school staff in pastoral care such as teachers, support school staff and school administration.
• research projects on children’s wellbeing, mental health, children’s voices and social and emotional learning.

North London Collegiate School (NLCS) Jeju, South Korea

The school aims to create a home where individuals are nurtured and the whole personality can grow. They foster a caring and respectful community characterized by excellent relationships between staff and students regardless of age and background. Pastorally the school has an outstanding approach towards Pastoral Care and was recently awarded Safeguarding School of the Year by the ISC in 2023 in recognition of their work to keep students safe. They have ensured that all students receive digital citizenship training, there are safeguarding posters of adults who can help, meetings have safeguarding as part of the agenda, recently introduced a visitor code of conduct that also includes a safeguarding briefing when visitors come into school and continuous training throughout the year for staff.

One of the school’s goals is to ensure that new students are supported and welcomed into the school. They have introduced a number of new initiatives including using peer mentors to. support students, the Student Council arranging welcoming activities including lunches and a Scavenger Hunt, induction days and support from house committees. From August, all year 7 students (in response to feedback) will be allocated an older brother or sister to offer them support and guidance throughout the first term and help them not only settle in, but also feel a valued member of the school community. 

Bromsgrove International School, Thailand

At Bromsgrove International School, is a school that has pastoral care, personal-social education, and the welfare of students at its very heart.  They strive to find innovative ways to support and develop students’ wellbeing. A recent tool has been the introduction of the ‘Well-Being Passport’, a document created with the child, for the child and which is editable and designed to progress through school with each individual.     Each of the 120 boarders have an initial meeting with a member of boarding staff in order to receive a dedicated time slot to understand, create and ask any questions in order to promote the intrinsic value of the passport initiative. Written in the students own words, the ‘Well-Being Passport’ identifies things that are important to them and what areas in which they feel they need support as well as helping students feel they are each known and valued as an individual in her or his own right, and that school life has a meaning and purpose for them. It has proven to be a useful reflective tool with some students, empowering them in choosing to meet and discuss their wellbeing passport in order to adjust their short- and long-term goals or review what support they feel they may need in order to achieve this.

Congratulations for everybody nominated for Pastoral Member of year in 2023. The nominations for the 2024 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education are now open. All the details are available on the NAPCE website www.napce.org.uk. Follow the link to make a nomination to recognise and value contributions to good practice in pastoral care in education.

Making a nomination for the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 organised by NAPCE.

It is easy to make a nomination for the Awards to recognise good practice in the eight categories and it only takes a few minutes.

Here is some guidance on how to make your nomination.

• Visit our nomination page here https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2024-entry-form/
• Or go to www.napce.org.uk and click on the link for the awards.
• This takes you to the page where you can make your nomination.
• Read the information about the criteria for each category.
• Provide your contact details as the nominee and the name of the person or organisation you are nominating with their email contact details on the form provided.
• Click on the button to select the appropriate category for your nomination.
• In the box provided provide information and any evidence to support you nomination.

You can make a nomination for another person or organisation, or self-nominations are also welcome.

You have 750 word available to describe the reasons for your nomination to the judges.

You do not have to use all 750 words and the best nominations are concise and clear.

Explain what makes your nomination an example of good practice.

Describe how it makes a difference in the learning experience of children and young people.

Give examples of actions that have been taken and outcomes that have been achieved.

Explain why you are proud of this nomination.

Make your nomination now to recognise good practice and achievements in pastoral care in education.

EVENTS: Important NAPCE 2024 Dates Announced 

NAPCE – Key 2024 Dates for the diary

We’re very proud to confirm that the NAPCE National Conference 2024 will take place in person on 25^th May 2024.

The theme will be ‘Sharing Good Practice in Pastoral Care in Education’.

The event is planned to take place in the London area and will include.

• A Keynote speaker presentation.
• Presentations sharing good practice form previous finalists in the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education,
• An audience discussion about the new pastoral book edited by NAPCE ‘Pastoral Care in Education. New directions for new times.’

Details and tickets will be available soon on the NAPCE Eventbrite page and more information will be shared in future newsletters.

EVENT: NAPCE Chair Phil Jones to Speak at ASCL Conference for Pastoral Leaders 2024 – LAST CHANCE TO BOOK

We are partnering with ASCL again for the ASCL Conference for Pastoral Leaders 2024, which is taking place on January 29th.

Tickets are available now.

NAPCE Chair Phil Jones is amongst the panel of expert speakers joining the event at The Birmingham Conference and Events Centre (BCEC).

The theme for this year is “Taking a proactive approach to pastoral leadership”

At the ASCL Conference for Pastoral Leaders 2024, they will be looking at how pastoral leaders, DSLs, Inclusion leads in schools and across trusts deal with constantly changing priorities.

This event will support leaders to strengthen systems and processes and enable improvement, adopting a proactive rather than reactive response to competing educational demands.

It is a fantastic opportunity to focus on current whole school priorities of attendance, behaviour and inclusion and how they relate to rising SEND, mental health & wellbeing and disadvantage gaps.

This Conference will enable Pastoral Leaders to strengthen school provision and practice.

Meet the Speakers
Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at UCL, who will be identifying the escalating challenges, despite an online safety act, of online misogyny and what schools can be doing to respond effectively.
Victoria Raynor, Safeguarding Consultant will be exploring the practical approaches that schools must adopt to safeguarding and strengthen wellbeing.
ASCL Specialist, Tom Middlehurst will review pastoral priorities for Ofsted inspections. There will also be contributions from Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist, Alessandro Capozzi, Executive Headteacher, Academy2, Marc Rowland, Pupil Premium and Vulnerable Learners Adviser, Unity Schools Partnership, Amelie Thompson, Assistant Director of Education: SEND, Greenshaw Learning Trust, Dr Caitlin Shaughnessy, Research associate, Nicola Shaughnessy, Professor of Performance at the University of Kent, Hamira Shah, Deputy Headteacher, North Huddersfield Trust School and Andy McGowan, Policy and Practice Manager, Carers Trust.

Panel experts will include Phil Jones NAPCE and ASCL Council leaders.

For more information and tickets follow this link: https://www.ascl.org.uk/Pastoral2024

LEAD ARTICLE: NAPCE’s Dr Nicole Cara Explores the Role of the Form Tutor in 2023

The role of the Form Tutor: some insights from research on good practice by Dr Nicole Cara

What does a Form Tutor actually do? Do we need them? Why are they important? What does good practice look like?

This article provides a summary of some of the findings of a large-scale research study undertaken to investigate the role of the Form Tutor, Form Time and Tutor Groups by researchers from the Department for Psychology and Human Development at the Institute of Education, University College London.

The study is based on a large sample of over 1,200 Form Tutors, representing 27% of secondary schools in the country, collecting data by a survey and interviews.

What is a Form Tutor?

In the intricate web of the pastoral secondary school education system in the UK, one essential element stands out—the Form Tutor.

A Form Tutor is a member of school staff, typically a teacher, though not always, who occupies a vital role in the academic and personal development of children.

They are the adult who has regular (usually daily) contact with the group of children in their care, commonly known as a ‘Tutor Group’.

A Form Tutor and their Tutor Group usually share Form Time together, though our research found Form Time does not take place in all secondary schools in the country.

Why is a Form Tutor Important?

The Form Tutor is the only person able to have a direct oversight of the children within a secondary school given children have multiple adults teaching them across their day.

The Form Tutor is the main adult a child will build a solid relationship with at secondary school. The Form Tutor-tutee relationship has potential to be a protective factor for children, promoting a sense of school belonging (Allen & Kern, 2017, 2020; Hobfoll, 2011), helping them feel secure and safe.

This in turn has a positive impact young people’s motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and as a result, facilitates their academic, social and emotional success (Cook et al., 2005; Heilbronn, 2004).

Therefore, Form Tutors are the cornerstone of pastoral care, being in a position to have a relationship that differs from that of a subject teacher and student.

Furthermore, there is growing evidence to suggest that positive mental health and wellbeing of children and educational attainment are not synergistic goals.

Form Tutors providing pastoral support helps children develop their resilience and emotional wellbeing, which, in turn, has a positive impact on learning and attainment, supporting and motivating children to achieve their full potential.

What Should a Form Tutor Do?

Form Tutors wear multiple hats, undertaking a range of responsibilities to cater to the holistic needs of their tutees.

They act as mentors, advocates, and facilitators, ensuring the overall wellbeing of their Tutor Group.

However, both our review of the existing literature and our study highlighted ambivalent feelings regarding the role of the Form Tutor- what should they do? What is within their role? There was a lack of clarity.

Based on our findings, the authors of the research present the following characterisation of an ‘ideal’ Form Tutor, as encompassing these five key areas that Form Tutors felt were the most important and valued aspects of their role.

This provides a much needed update to the current research in this area, and addresses the lack of clarity round the role.

An ‘ideal’ Form Tutor:

• is relational and supportive. They hold their tutees in an unconditional positive regard, motivating, listening to and containing their tutees.
• advocates for tutees and challenges negative narratives.
• has an oversight of tutees, monitoring pastoral needs and intervenes, where necessary.
• upholds standards (checking equipment and uniform, monitoring behaviour and academic attainment) and intervenes where necessary.
• is a conduit (connector) or ‘first port of call’ between their tutees, their tutees parents/carers and the wider school system.

The description of an ‘ideal’ Form Tutor also allows for the potential of the role to be realised by clarifying and raising expectations of staff in this role and putting the Form Tutor at the heart of children’s relationship with school.

Naturally there will be variation in practice, but this provides a guide to support staff to develop and guide their practice.

How Can You Be a Better Form Tutor?

Being an effective Form Tutor, or leading/managing effective Form Tutors requires commitment, ongoing professional development, and a genuine passion for realising the potential of the role in supporting children.

Here are some tips to enhance your skills as a Form Tutor:

1. Build a relationship and trust with your tutees and Tutor Group as a whole.
   • Ask them about the weekend, make a note of something happening in their lives and ask about it at a later date.
   • Build a positive narrative about being part of your Tutor Group: “In this Tutor Group, we are kind and help each other out”.
   • Find (or make!) time for individual conversations with the children, where you can. 30 seconds asking about their best bit of their day goes a long way.
   • Say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you say you’ll do something (email about their ID card, get them a new planner etc), then follow it up.
   • Listen to them- all people want to feel heard. “xx, I can hear your frustrated. Lets talk about it at the end of Form Time”.
2. Champion your children.
   • Celebrate their achievements to others. If they do something well/good/positive, tell other adults.
   • You are the person that can change a negative narrative to a positive one. A simple ‘”Hi [name], lovely to see you today. Thanks for [having your shirt tucked in, being on time, having your equipment etc]” can repair a tricky last interaction.
   • You are the person in school that should hold each child in your Tutor Group in an unconditional positive regard. Don’t judge them, be supportive, be kind and hold in mind that they are teenagers whose brains are still growing and developing, even if they look like adults! Name their positive skills and attributes, even if you think they know them.
3. Consistency is key. Have high standards, and help the children meet them.
   • Praise, praise, praise! “Well done to xx for coming in and sitting straight down”.
   • All humans thrive on certainty, clear boundaries and consistency. Keep helping the children stick to the school rules, but you can do this with compassion and a smile. It’s our job as adults to shape the people they become. If you say silence, insist on it.
   • Keep an eye on their behaviour data, where you can. Praise any small but positive changes. Catch any slips towards the negative quickly and have a chat with them.
4. Be the first port of call.
   • Where you can, build a relationship with the families of your tutees. A positive phone call home takes 90 seconds, but makes a world of difference.
   • You are the person that typically conveys school messages and makes children part of school life, beyond their academics/lessons. Read the notices, even if they seem not relevant to everyone. Encourage them to attend clubs.
   • Communicate that you are the person that can listen, help them solve problems and support them at school. The best predictor of positive wellbeing is knowing that you can access support, even if you don’t always need it.

In conclusion, the role of a Form Tutor is indispensable in the pastoral secondary school education system in the UK.

By providing pastoral support, and fostering personal development, Form Tutor help shape confident, resilient, and well-rounded individuals.

To be a better Form Tutor, focus on your relationship with the children, championing and advocating for them, be consistent and a first port of call for the children. Children who feel supported and cared for will do well in their education and become resilient adults who achieve their potential.

Dr Nicole Cara, Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist and lead researcher. Nicole works as an Educational and Child Psychologist in a Central London Local Authority and teaches in a North London Secondary School.

References
Allen, K.-A., & Kern, M. L. (2017). School belonging in adolescents: Theory, research and practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Allen, K.-A., & Kern, P. (2020). Boosting School Belonging: Practical Strategies to Help Adolescents Feel Like They Belong at School. Routledge.
Cook, A., Spinazzola, J., Ford, J., Lanktree, C., Blaustein, M., Cloitre, M., DeRosa, R., Hubbard, R., Kagan, R., Liautaud, J., Mallah, K., Olafson, E., & Van Der Kolk, B. (2005). Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5), 390–398. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20050501-05
Hobfoll, S. E. (2011). Conservation of resources theory: Its implication for stress, health, and resilience. The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping., 127–147.
Heilbronn, R. (2004). Tutoring and personal, social and health education. In In S. Capel, M. Leask, & T. Turner (Eds). Starting to Teach in the Secondary School: A Companion for the Newly Qualified Teacher (pp. 45–59). Routledge.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being. The American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

AWARDS: National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2023 – FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The finalists of the National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education 2023 have been revealed.

Now in its fourth year, the NAPCE Awards is a firm fixture on the education calendar and nominees have been selected in eight categories by an independent panel of judges made up of educational experts.

NAPCE National Chair Phil Jones announced that the standard of entries was once again “phenomenally high” and all entrants should be “very proud” of their work.

The Awards was launched by NAPCE in 2019 and for the first time last year an busy in-person presentation ceremony took place.

The NAPCE Awards is the first UK-wide scheme to recognise outstanding achievements across pastoral care in education settings.

It was created to highlight excellent practice in pastoral care and to celebrate the people making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

It also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and recognises the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

Mr Jones said: “The NAPCE Awards continues to go from strength to strength and I am so pleased to announce that we received a record high number of entries this year.

“I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to all finalists and to thank them for their work in the field of pastoral care over the past year.

“We had quite a number of returning nominees but also so many new schools and institutions taking part for the first time, it is very exciting indeed.

“I have to say that the standard of entry was phenomenally high and so reaching the final stages is a big achievement in itself.

“We are thrilled to be returning to Worcestershire County Cricket Ground, in Worcester for a big celebration evening in September and tickets for all finalists are FREE.

“Finally I’d like to send my very best wishes to all finalists and we look forward to meeting you later this year.”

Details about how to book tickets will be sent to finalists directly, before being made available to people from across the education sector.

To book FREE tickets for the showpiece Presentation Evening on September 29th at Worcestershire County Cricket Ground, Worcester, click here: https://NAPCEawards23.eventbrite.co.uk

The Finalists

Pastoral School of The Year

(A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school)

Up Holland High School, Lancashire

Richard Cloudesley School

St Patrick’s College, Dungiven

RGS The Grange

Holy Trinity Primary School

…

Pastoral Team of The Year

(A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with)

Pastoral Team at Shireland Collegiate Academy

SENDi Team Tudor Grange Academy, Worcester

Pastoral Team, Stockport Academy

Institute of Policing’s Work Based Education Officers Team

Team of Student Managers, Preston College

…

Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year

(A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success)

Matt Pont Beck Primary School

Raymond Kelly, St Patrick’s College Dungiven

Thomas Carter Stead, NLCS Jeju

Liz Tzouliou, East Barnet School

Aine Deane, Sacred Heart PS, Derry

…

Pastoral Leader of Staff of the Year

(Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with)

Donna Merry, Southend YMCA Community School

Liz Weddle, JCoSS, Barnet

Aine Deane, Sacred Heart PS, Derry

Kathryn Bates, Shireland Collegiate Academy, Smethwick

Andrew Keep, St Bees School

…

Pastoral Development of the Year

(A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people)

Christ the King Sixth Forms

Inclusion Hub, Friern Barnet School

Leighton Park School

Louis Grammar School, Ballymena

Raymond Herron, St. Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School

…

Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care

(A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care)

Girls on Board

Heather Tuffs, Nidderdale High School

Lads Like Us

Sacred Heart PS, Derry

Mohammed Adam, Manchester Academy

…

Raising Awareness About Pastoral Care

(An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people)

Stephen Page, All Saints Catholic College

Ellie Costello, Team Square Peg

Pastoral Care Department, Glenlola Collegiate School

Highfield and Brookham Schools

…

International Contribution to Pastoral Care

(An international school or organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care)

Bromsgrove International School Thailand

NLCS Jeju

Charlene Secondary School Kiryandongo Uganda

University of Malta

International School Ikast-Brande

There will be a prize of £100 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

EVENT: Major Online Pastoral Care Conference – Claim Discounted Tickets Here

Delivering Outstanding Pastoral Care Conference 2023

We’re delighted to announce that NAPCE leader Phil Jones will chair an important online pastoral care conference in October.

The Delivering Outstanding Pastoral Care 2023 event, on October 5th, is the latest in an exciting programme of events for NAPCE this year.

It is run by Education Conferences UK.

As a reader of NAPCE News we’re delighted to offer you a 20% discount on tickets for the event which is available for booking now.

About the Online Conference & How to Claim Your 20% Discount

Covering the newest pastoral challenges affecting pupils including cost of living crisis, poor mental health and cyber-bullying

The direct link to the conference & tickets is https://www.educationconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/pastoral-care

20% Discount code: hcuk20spkr

Thursday 5th October 2023, Virtual Conference

The role of the Pastoral Lead is broad, complex and one of the most difficult jobs in school – not only because of how varied the challenges are but how often they change – new ones are appearing all the time.

But demanding roles often don’t allow individuals to keep abreast of updates – from legal requirements to best practice, it’s crucial you stay on top of it all.

Your invitation to attend the Pastoral Care Conference

Chaired by Phil Jones, National Chair, National Association for Pastoral Care in Education this full day conference will look at recent changes to guidance on behaviour, exclusions, attendance and safeguarding so that you are able to remain compliant and understand the impact that these will have on your day-to-day work.

Our experts will also be delivering sessions on some of the biggest challenges facing pastoral leads in schools, including; responding to the cost of living crisis, supporting student mental health and wellbeing and addressing the difficulties arising out of cyber bullying.

Learning Outcomes:

•    Get essential updates on key topics for pastoral leads in schools
•    Understand how the cost of living crisis might impact your pupils
•    Come away with practical ideas to support children and families facing poverty
•    Improve how you work with hard to reach and disengaged families
•    Gain a deeper understanding of how to work with children facing mental health challenges
•    Improve how you respond to incidents of cyber bullying to ensure pupils are effectively supported
•    Update your knowledge on school attendance and the changes to guidance and proposed changes in the Schools Bill
•    Go back to your school with practical ideas to improve your behaviour management strategy
•    Hear practical case studies from pastoral leads in schools about changes they have implemented
•    Supports CPD professional development

Your speakers

Phil Jones
National Chair
National Association for Pastoral Care in Education

Sam Garner
Mental Health & Inclusion Consultant & Director
Garner Education Services

Joanne Sierzega
Senior Attendance and Welfare
CSAWS

Who are Education Conferences UK?

We provide conferences and training aimed at senior leaders, teachers, SENCOs, safeguarding leads and support staff working in early years, primary and secondary education.

You can pre-purchase conference places in bulk at discounted rates, for your organisation to use throughout the year. Email Emilyw@hc-uk.org.uk for more information. 

REPORT: NAPCE’S Sell-Out Northern Ireland Symposium Hailed a Huge Success

NAPCE’s First Northern Ireland Pastoral Care Event – A SELL OUT SUCCESS!

The first ever NAPCE pastoral care event in Northern Ireland has been hailed a huge success.

“Who Cares About Pastoral Care?” was the theme for the Symposium event led by NAPCE’s Journal Editor Professor Noel Purdy.

It took place at Stranmillis University College on June 21st and was SOLD OUT in advance.

Inspirational pastoral leaders led a packed three and a half hour programme of presentations with plenty of opportunity for questions, discussion and networking.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the event and to Stranmillis University College and our very own Prof. Purdy for their dedication and hard work in making this such a big success.

We will be publishing a full report on the event in the July edition of NAPCE News.

LEAD ARTICLE: Are we doing enough to support persistently absent young people? NAPCE’s Dominic Riste explores the issue

Mind The Gap: Are We Doing Enough to Maintain the Journey of Personal Development When it Comes to Young People Who Are Persistently Absent? by Dominic Riste

The need for a logically sequenced, embedded, authentic and adaptable pastoral care in schools is indisputable: done well it can develop motivation, integrity, resilience in young people, encouraging them to understand the value of respect and tolerance, empowering them with knowledge about mental and physical health, healthy relationships and a clear sense of self and purpose.

Teachers across the world strive to communicate not only their passion and knowledge of a subject, but also contribute to the personal development of their students.

Schools across the world aim to not only empower their pupils through achievements, but also to nurture socially responsible and active citizens.

Yet can any of these ambitions be adequately fulfilled for those students who are not present in the building or the classroom to experience them?

While the return to full GCSE specifications, the re-establishment of routines and the end of post pandemic interventions suggest that the educational landscape has recovered from the impact of the Covid 19, the effect of the lockdowns on student attendance continues to be felt.

In England 25 per cent of students were persistently absent during the autumn term 2022, an increase from the 10 per cent pre-pandemic figure (provided by the FFT Datalab).

These figures also reveal that almost 5 per cent of young people in years 10 and 11 were classed as severe absentees in the same period, roughly 170 thousand individuals.

It is widely acknowledged and communicated that students who attend school less frequently perform worse academically, however the issues caused by such significant periods of time absent from education are multifaceted and interlinked.

From a reduction in opportunities to learn through social interactions, build resilience, receive advice and guidance, have access to external providers of
support, to the increase of risk factors when not at school.

Engaging young people who are persistently absent from school is a similarly multifaceted endeavour. It is also a considerable challenge.

In my own early career, I remember wrestling with the issue myself. As an NQT and inexperienced Year Leader, with a clear responsibility for attendance in my performance management targets and job specification, I found the line between what I was responsible for and not responsible for (issues inside the school and external to the school) a difficult one to get a definitive picture of.

Fortunately, I worked with an incredible member of staff from the local authority, a knowledgeable, relentless and compassionate ex-teacher, however I still found myself in situations – I distinctly recall being surrounded by a student’s family as I was encouraged to (and did) use a ladder positioned in front of a small window in the hallway of the property to check on the welfare, communicate with and eventually convince a young person into school being one – where I questioned: What would my approach be if I didn’t have pre-existing relationships with students and families to rely on?

What support could I reasonably offer if encouraging, motivating and listening didn’t work? Is my responsibility here or in school where the majority of my year group were?

Retrospectively, it highlights for one thing a lack of training in skills typically beyond a teacher’s remit.

It is clear that the educational provision and pastoral care accessed by a significant number of young people is limited by non-attendance to schools.

However, what isn’t always as clear is whose responsibility is it to re-engage them.

A collaborative approach between local authority, primary and secondary schools is needed to provide a holistic response to the issue.

When meaningful this has the potential to support key transitions, share good practice, build relationships with families and overcome some of the barriers that may lie in wait during a young person’s unique educational journey.

Furthermore, with an expansion of technology in education and especially the facilitation of online learning, there are more ways than ever to reach students who are not physically present in school.

During lockdown students received learning in line with the national curriculum, however in cases of persistent absences, those who are not in the classroom often miss vast amounts of curriculum content.

If the potential of virtual education is embraced and managed, the barrier caused by students feeling behind their peers could be supported and alleviated.

Where young people are successfully reintegrated with their education it is often the result of gradual, supportive, and often creative pastoral care, yet this takes time, capacity, and the ability to extend the pastoral care inside school to outside of school – a challenge that is essential if the personal development of all young people is to be nurtured by our education system.

Dominic Riste
NEC Member
NAPCE

EVENT: Free Tickets Available Now for New NAPCE Pastoral Care Event in Northern Ireland in June

Tickets are available now for NAPCE’s first ever in-person pastoral care event in Northern Ireland – BOOK NOW!

Early booking is recommended for this FREE event which takes place at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, on 21st June, 2023.

Koulla Yiasouma, the former Children’s Commissioner for Northern Ireland, will be among the guests.

You can book your FREE tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-cares-about-pastoral-care-tickets-630795425097

About The Event

This face-to-face symposium is a unique collaboration between the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE) and Stranmillis University College, Belfast.

It seeks to bring together educational practitioners from a range of school settings in Northern Ireland to identify the current pastoral challenges facing schools as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and enter a period of significant budget cuts.

The symposium features contributions from Koulla Yiasouma, the former Children’s Commissioner for NI, and three local schools, each of which has won awards for their outstanding pastoral care.

There will be presentations and time for group discussion, as well as informal networking and sharing of experiences and ideas.

REPORT: FREE NAPCE Online Pastoral Care Conference Hailed a Huge Success

NAPCE SPRING ONLINE CONFERENCE 2023 – Pastoral Care that Makes a Difference

The NAPCE Online Conference 2023 ‘Pastoral Care that Makes a Difference’ has been hailed a huge success.

This was the third year that NAPCE had organised a spring online conference.

The 2023 conference took place on Saturday 22nd April and explored current issues and challenges for people working in pastoral roles in schools and educational organisations.

It attracted delegates who shared an interest in pastoral care in education from around the world.

It was a combination of presentations by expert speakers in different pastoral topics and interviews and discussions with guests with expertise in pastoral issues.

The conference was chaired by Phil Jones, National Chair for the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE).

The first presentation was about Pastoral Care that Supports SEND, from Dr Matt Silver, who is the National Vice Chair, for NAPCE.

The presentation provided delegates with some important information and ideas about current issues in SEND.

Matt Silver is the founder of The Glass House Leadership Lab which is described on its website as ‘an accessible and non-judgemental space for leaders to explore and be guided in their ongoing journey’.

Some of the important points that Dr Silver made in the presentation are that there is a need for education to change from analogue to digital and that we need to consider what our ‘rigid’ education system is preparing young people for.

This was followed by a presentation on supporting parents with attendance, from Ellie Costello, Director of Square Peg.

“Square Peg was set up as a social enterprise in April 2019, to effect change for children who struggle to attend school and their families.

Ellie Costello joined Square Peg as Director in 2020, having experienced life as the parent of children with underlying needs which impacted their ability to access and ‘fit’ the education system.

She now runs the organisation, as well as working as an Expert by Experience with local authority and health teams in her home county of Warwickshire.

The presentation provided an important insight into different perceptions about how to improve attendance and how schools can work with parents and young people in their care to support them in achieving their full potential from their education.

Attendance is a current focus in education with concerns about high absence since Covid 19 and an increasing number of parents choosing to home educate their children.

The first interview guest was Professor Noel Purdy from Stranmillis University College in Belfast.

He responded to questions from Phil Jones and shared his experience of working in areas of pastoral care in education and how pastoral care has developed in Northern Ireland.

The next presentation came from Charlie Walker who is the student representative on the National Executive for NAPCE.

Charlie is a neuroscience student at the University of Exeter, and he is an adviser on young people in the House of Commons.

He gave a very interesting insight into what do young people want from pastoral care and support for their education and preparation for their future lives.

The next interview guest was Jill Robson who is the National Secretary for NAPCE and currently also acting as Treasurer.

Responding to interview questions from Phil Jones led to an interesting discussion about how PSHE can support personal development in schools.

Jill was able to share her experience of working in secondary schools and to provide some ideas and advice for delegates.

The final presentation was from Jimi Slattery on social and emotional learning and how this supports personal development.

Jimi is an experienced education professional who leads the Compassion Matters Project for the Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion.

He explained that social and emotional learning is an integral part of education and human development.

Jimi shared with delegates, how the process of social and emotional learning enables people to acquire and apply knowledge skills and attitudes, to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish, and maintain supportive relationships and make responsible and caring  decisions.

Phil Jones brought the conference to a close and identified some themes that had emerged from the presentations and discussions.

 There is a need for pastoral care in schools in the 21st century.
 Children and young people have different needs and require different support to achieve their full potential.
 Pastoral care, personal development and social and emotional learning provides the foundation for academic achievement.
 There is a need for educationalists to be brave and highlight the importance of pastoral care as part of a learner’s educational experience.

Some of the comments in the chat for the conference included.

“So important to think about the needs of children and not just attendance targets”,
“Really engaging, relevant and useful”.
“It made me think about the lack of links between our PSHRE team and the pastoral team”
”Great information and help in today’s post pandemic world”
“Thank you everyone you are doing such important work and I am always inspired by school pastoral educators and their dedication to children and the development of young people. You are doing the most important work in schools”.
“Thank you. Lots of interesting presentations”.

There were delegates from the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Singapore, Nigeria, Netherlands, Moldova, Canada, and Australia.

The NAPCE page on Eventbrite had 279 visits for information about the conference and 68 delegates registered to attend.

The online conference was followed in the afternoon by the 2023 AGM for the Association.

GOOD PRACTICE: Sharing Good Practice from the 2022 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education

Sharing Good Practice from the 2022 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education

The judges were very impressed with the excellent practice in pastoral care and brilliant support that is being provided for learners that was highlighted in the nominations for the 2022 Awards.

In this edition of NAPCE News we are sharing some more of the good practice that was highlighted, this time, in the Pastoral Development of the Year Award at the 2022 event.

The criteria for this category is “A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people.”

The 2022 Award Winner was:-

Emma McCarron, St Patricks College, Dungannon

The 2022 Finalists were:-

Meridian High School Summit Team

Michael Fitzsimons, Trinity Sixth Form Academy

Pastoral Development of the Year Award 2023

Emma McCarron, St Patricks College, Dungannon

Emma introduced our Mental Health & Well Being P16 leadership Team initiative in 2019. This team comprises of Year 13 & 14 students who work together with staff, parents and external agencies and local community partners to raise awareness, challenge stigma and campaign for change for all our students.    Emma and her team present at whole school and year group assemblies, they facilitate intervention programmes such as the buddy team, they organise workshops from youth clubs and social trust services, they liaise with staff for mapping Mental Health across our subjects and ensuring it is included in schemes of work and resources, they build noticeboards signposting relevant supports and services for both students and staff alike. They organise and encourage visits by external groups to promote Mental Health & Well Being and challenge stigma of the same as well as well as sourcing Mental Health First Aid training for staff.    The team lead a hugely successful annual Mental Health & Well Being week which is sponsored by community groups. This year the theme was ‘Express yourself’. The purpose of the week is to run activities and workshops which encourage students (and staff) to take part in activities that help both their mental and physical health and wellbeing. We managed to run a vast number of activities to introduce students to things they may never have taken part in before, including Yoga, Cheerleading, Art therapy, Mindfulness, Mediation, Dodgeball, Baking, Dance, Board games, Drama, Animal Balloon making, Movie sessions, Rounder’s, football, a Make-up tutorial – to only name a few – we worked hard to capture the interests of as many students as possible. Everyone becomes involved and this is down to the staff and students who gladly volunteer their time. It has now become a highlight of the school calendar.

Meridian High School Summit team, Meridian High School

The Summit team have set up a phenomenal provision in the  school which supports the social, emotional, and mental health of every young student in their care. The summit provision is expertly lead by Jayne Curd and Gary Newton the senior leaders responsible for pastoral, behaviour, and attitudes. During Covid the pastoral team have made a vision become a reality where a team of non-teaching pastoral welfare leaders, learning mentors, Thrive practitioners and child wellbeing practitioners work together to meet the needs of the students so that learning can become their focus and ultimately keys to their future successes. Jayne and her team have set up SEMH workshops that focus on the issues that our relevant to their context. This includes social skills, ready to learn, self-confidence, Thrive, zones for regulation, emotional well-being, ‘lives not knives’. The team lead weekly Thrive sessions with staff to support teachers and LSAs with key strategies to enable the student to access and thrive in learning. This has now also started with our prospective year 5 and 6 students where the team have been leading sessions for parents and children who are vulnerable and need more support. During the pandemic the team made over 5000 calls and home visits to our students and families and provided them with laptops to access learning as well as food parcels for those in need. The team not only offer support to students but also support parents.  Our demographic is challenging but is our driver as Jayne and her team embody the mantra that positive educational outcomes will increase the life chances for the young people and community that we serve and where ever they can they make it possible for students to be successful.

St. Louis Grammar School Ballymena,
Anti-Bullying initiative

The newly appointed Head Girls/Boys introduced a new role within the prefect team called ‘Anti Bullying Prefects.’ They chose two Head prefects who they knew would have empathy, be great listeners and role models for kind behaviour.  We asked the Year 14 student body to decide if they would like to become part of this team so that we would have enthusiastic and passionate pupils leading the initiative.  Aligned with this we enlisted Year 8-13 pupils and merged them with the team to take part in Anti–Bullying Training provided by The Diana Award Organisation and as a result we had a fully trained second group of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors (one girl and boy from each year group).  The groups have worked hard to achieve their Online Safety Badge and Student Wellbeing Badges awarded by the Diana Award.  The pupils have a dedicated safe space for students to report bullying behaviours to their peers.  This is in response to research by Ofsted which reports that young people are more likely to share concerns with their peers than with adults.  They produced a rota so that a male and female ambassador is present at break time in the new creative Arts building.

Anti-Bullying Presentation.

We choose to educate the school on bullying behaviours and why it is not kind or right to bully anyone. The Anti-Bullying Ambassadors put across information such as, photos of Anti Bullying Prefects and who they are, where the safe space is and to highlight ‘One Kind Word’ for Anti Bullying week. The presentation was shown to every single pupil and staff member on Monday 15th November at 10.30am.

Poster Campaign

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors created posters and used resources from Anti-Bullying websites to highlight that bullying behaviours are wrong.

Russell Friese, Bassett House School

Alongside their current extensive pastoral program, the school has introduced a new individual pastoral care initiative that delivers a threefold support system to ensure no pupil is left behind and that every child receives the personalised pastoral support they need.  To achieve these goals the school has introduced the following:
1. Each child receives a personalised pastoral plan as soon as they join the school whether that is in EYFS or as an in-year admission. In this plan the children record their wishes, feelings and personal targets and discuss these with their Form Teacher and the Pastoral Lead to ensure the correct support is given.
2. A pupil pastoral audit is completed at end of each term and involves the Headmistress, Deputy Head and Pastoral Lead meeting with individual Form Teachers to discuss the pastoral requirements for every child in their class which then inform an action plan for each class and each individual pupil
3. Weekly “Communication Station” hub sessions are attended by selected children who have been recommended by Form Teachers, Senior Leaders and even parents, and focus on helping those children who require extra support with areas such as, but not exclusive to, verbalising feelings, building confidence, building friendships and managing emotions. The sessions incorporate games, role plays, group discussions, drawing, writing, talking about feelings, circle time and reading stories in order to help the children develop their skills in these areas. The children selected really enjoy the sessions and it has had a continued positive impact on their learning and friendships, which are the main aims of the programme.

Michael Fitzsimons, Trinity Sixth Form Academy

Trinity+ is an innovative approach to the wider curriculum offer at Trinity Sixth Form Academy (TSFA). The pandemic brought many challenges, but also enabled leaders at TSFA to re-evaluate curriculum design and best practice. After a period of research and consultation, involving students, staff and academic literature, Trinity+ was born.   Trinity+ is a two-and-a-half-hour lesson, delivered by a senior leader and supported by two personal progress tutors (PPTs). The lesson takes place in one space, with IT facilities, taught in real time but also beamed live on MS Teams. Trinity+ is made up of five components:  Personal Development is planned meticulously. The curriculum considers guidance from the PSHCE Association and represents the needs of our student demographic and local labour market.  Self-Appraisal provides students with an opportunity to reflect on their progress in all aspects of their 6th Form lives. A weekly rolling survey is utilised, with students reflecting on diet, sleep, water intake, attendance, conduct, progress and attainment, emotional and social health, and wellbeing. The results are used by pastoral staff for proactive discussion with students and curriculum refinement.  Life Ready lesson was a concept born through observation. 60% of students at TSFA come from the bottom 30% of deprived families and both oracy and public speaking confidence are considerable obstacles for students. Life Ready lessons focus on increasing tier two vocabulary, teaching students about the pleasure of reading and emerging students in progressive public speaking opportunities.  Focused Independent Study involves modelling best revision habits and creating an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and self-betterment. Monitoring meetings take place within this time between students and PPTs, safeguarding and SEND teams, and our in-house careers advisor.  The Literary Message concludes each lesson and centres on a piece of text from a renowned author.

The nominations for the 2023 National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education are now with the judges.

The finalists will be announced in the June NAPCE newsletter.

The grand Presentation Event will take place in the Graeme Hick Pavilion at Worcestershire County Cricket Club in Worcester on Friday 29^th September, 2023.

Details will be available soon.