Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care Curriculum Statement

The fundamental relationship between emotional and mental well-being and educational achievement is widely recognised and as a result we place great importance on Pastoral Care at Fairfield Primary School. Our vision is to have a full understanding and knowledge of the wide range of pastoral needs of the children in our care and to strive to provide them with the most appropriate support at any given time. We recognise that children need to develop their personal strength, confidence and understanding of self in order to progress emotionally, socially and educationally.

We aim to build respectful and trusting relationships with all pupils and their parents and guardians so that information can be shared between home and school. We encourage parents and guardians to share information about what is going on in a child’s personal life that could have an impact on them however small or large. This knowledge is vital for staff so that they can act swiftly to provide care and support. Conversely, in school all staff acknowledge the importance of sharing information within school and from school to home so all of those coming into contact with a child have a full picture of their needs. All children, at some stage or stages, will need some additional care due to experiences such as bereavement, breakdown of relationships, issues with friendship groups and what is going on in the world.

We have a robust PSHE curriculum that is delivered to all ages so that children can understand and begin to deal with their own feelings, develop their own social and emotional resilience and understand about mental health.. However, we acknowledge that support within a normal classroom setting from the class teacher, in some circumstances. is not always enough. Therefore, we provide a Nurture Group for children who require focussed intervention for particular emotional, social, mental health or behavioural difficulties. We have a trained counsellor to provide one to one pastoral support for children with more specific mental health issues or those requiring focused emotional support. We also offer well-being workshops which are run by members of our trained pastoral team who work closely together to discuss the best possible course of action for children whose needs cannot be met in a normal class setting.

We believe that promoting social, emotional and mental well-being, for all those involved in the school community, is key to providing the best possible learning environment and all staff remain committed to this; it is at the heart of our school ethos.