The QEGS Pastoral Year

As a school, we are keen to develop all of our pupils both academically and pastorally. This is founded in a belief that well-rounded students need an education in both areas. To this end, the QEGS Pastoral Year serves a number of important functions:

1. It identifies the key pastoral themes that we as a school think are important. These themes have been selected by both teachers and students as being those that are significant and worthy of the whole school’s focus.

2. By identifying these key pastoral themes and timetabling them into a pastoral year, we will create consistency throughout the school’s pastoral programme. Every form in every year will explore these themes and by doing them concurrently with everyone else, we aim to create a communal learning environment.

3. By revisiting themes every year and building on prior learning, we aim to keep important issues at the forefront of student and teacher thinking and generate a deeper level of understanding that evolves over time and remains current and relevant.

The Pastoral Year appears below. SLT and Heads of Year will refer to these pastoral themes in their assemblies with students. Form tutors will spend at least one form period per week on the given half-termly theme.



		

Half Term

Theme

Autumn Half Term 1

School Work

  • Study Skills

  • Work/personal organisation

  • Homework and schoolwork tips

  • Revision

  • Exam Preparation

Autumn Half Term 2

Mental Health and Well-being

  • Mental Health and Well-Being advice and tips

  • Resilience

  • Modelling good mental health

  • Supporting others

Spring Half Term 1

Futures

  • Next academic year

  • Further/higher education

  • Work experience

  • Employment/careers

  • Next steps and opportunities

Spring Half Term 2

Social/Personal growth

  • Relationships

  • Boundaries

  • Values

  • Expectations of others and yourself

Summer Half Term 1

Outside world

  • Current affairs

  • Charities

  • Climate action

  • Local/regional/national and international themes including contextual safeguarding issues like County Lines

Summer Half Term 2

Communication

  • Debate and discussion

  • Presentations to class

  • Form assemblies