Pastoral Care & Well-Being – Beeston Hall School

Our Commitment to Pastoral care and wellbeing

Wellbeing is at the centre of everything we do. Children who feel good about themselves and their lives are more engaged in school and do better. We are proud of being recognised as a happy, caring, family-orientated school. The strength of the pastoral care system, by which every child is nurtured and cared for, underpins this reputation.

As a day and boarding school, we have insight into the challenges youngsters face and have spent considerable time devising the best way of ensuring children come to school feeling happy and enjoy their day.

Our pastoral care is supported by the RULER Programme, based on research from Yale University’s Centre for Emotional Intelligence, where children are encouraged to recognise, understand, label and express their emotions, so better to regulate them. With family charters, class charters and mood meters, this system is significant in helping us all promote positive attitudes and relationships.

Leonard V and Marshall L-S playing chess

What Children can expect

To be allowed to be children and not feel pressured to grow up too quickly
To feel safe, but to be encouraged to take risks and make mistakes
A sense of community, with a House system which gives a sense of belonging
Caring, dedicated, experienced and vigilant staff
High standards of behaviour based on mutual respect and kindness
Effort and attainment is recognised and rewarded
Integration across the school with different age groups playing and working together
A wide range of opportunities for leadership across the school
Medical issues to be dealt with quickly
Bullying issues to be taken seriously, dealt with and resolved

Each child is looked after by their Form Tutor, whom they see at the start of each day. The Form Tutor encourages and assists their children in all aspects of school life, from achieving their academic and sporting goals to offering support and advice on relationships, current affairs and life skills. In the prep school, each teacher has between 8 and 10 pupils for whom they have special responsibility, as a further layer of mentoring.

What parents can expect

We promise to make it as easy as possible for children to talk to someone if they’re worried or sad about anything. Our Helping Hand posters encourage the child to feel free to talk to any number of the staff. These lines of communication include a child’s tutor, mentor, subject staff, houseparents, matrons, the Chaplain and the Headmaster and his wife.

We use assemblies and PHSEE lessons to let children know it’s okay to approach us, whatever the problem may be, and to ensure they feel confident they’re in a safe and caring environment and help is close at hand. We also have anonymous ‘Worry Boxes’ on the boys’ and girls’ side of the boarding house, outside the houseparents’ flat, Matron’s Surgery, in the Chapel or in the Link, and in both classroom blocks.

If children want to talk to someone who isn’t at school, they can call the Independent Listener, Mrs Bobbie Coe on 01263 860097 or 07887 603021; Childline on 0800 11 11, or the NSPCC on 0808 8005000 at any time from the two private phone boxes at school, which are accessible at any time outside lessons.

Parents and carers are an integral part of our wellbeing commitment. It’s important, they, too, get in touch to tell us about any problems, so we can work together with an on-going dialogue to provide the best support for the child.

Phoning Home

We have two phones which children can use at any time outside of lessons – the red phone box in the courtyard and one by the Matron’s room in its own private box. They just simply dial as they do at home. Children can also email or Skype their family in a private space, or from the front office.

Overseas boarders may bring mobile phones and use them, by arrangement, at suitable times during the week. At all other times they are kept securely by the boarding house parents.