Pastoral
The Form Tutor in the Junior School is at the heart of the pastoral and academic lives of the boys. They have the direct and daily responsibility for monitoring the wellbeing of their pupils. The Form Tutor acts as the first point of contact for parents and in school is likely to be the person who knows the boys in his or her class best. They have large amounts of contact with them through form periods, registration, Wellbeing lessons and many academic lessons (especially the core subjects). Together with the rest of the year group team and the Deputy Head Pastoral they will look after all aspects of the pastoral lives of the boys and promote our Junior School values (Do the right thing, Care for others, Join in, Strive for excellence).
On arrival at the College each boy is allocated to a Day House. His Housemaster will provide further care and guidance as they go through the Junior School, helping to monitor participation in co-curricular activities alongside the Form Tutor.
We believe that the dialogue with boys, parents and boys starts in Year 3 as a triangle of communication and responsibility between all three parties. However, as they boys mature and become independent they take control more of their lives and learning. By Year 6, for most boys, this triangle develops into a straight line where the boys are in the middle with parents and staff at either end. The boys organise themselves and they tell parents and teachers of issues they are having, so that when they transfer to the Lower School they are fully equipped to enjoy a higher level of responsibility and independence that Year 7 brings.
We believe in bringing our boys together with other local schools and we have developed very strong links with JAGS and Sydenham High over recent years. We are now extending that programme of joint events and projects inside and outside the curriculum to integrate the children in gender-neutral events where they can build life-long understanding and respect. These include team building events, sports and games afternoons, joint clubs, as well as philosophy and debating days. This programme continues throughout the Senior School.
