Support and Care

Pastoral Care

At Selly Oak Trust School, pastoral care is driven by each student's entitlement to learn and thrive in a community which is calm and orderly, where they feel safe, valued and successful.  

The school has a highly experience pastoral care team which includes the Head Teacher and his senior staff and all students come under their remit. As a result of focussed and skilful pastoral support and intervention, many students have settled and achieved far beyond expectation.

The school is divided into year groups under the care of Heads of Key Stage. Each year has four classes, each with a form tutor who is responsible for the day-to-day care of their students, supported by the Heads of Key Stage.

Year 7 has its own set of staff who care for students during their induction year.

In addition, the team is supported by:

• learning mentors who support students and parents who are experiencing particular difficulties and who need more support and guidance than the majority of students.
• literacy mentors who support students and families to access school and services.
• an EHWB Manager who maintains an overview, identifies barriers to attendance and works with staff, students and parents to overcome them.
• ASC Mentors who work with senior staff to support students to access their learning
• a qualified first aider who oversees and supports students with medical needs.

The Pastoral Team is led by a Pastoral Manager with responsibility for Pastoral Care. The team works closely with parents and outside agencies to support students who have enhanced personal, social, emotional and behaviour needs. A number of the senior staff are qualified as Designated Senior Teachers (DST) responsible for Child Protection.

Senior members of the team are available to respond to any behaviour issues which arise during the school day.  Consequently, learning can continue undisturbed.

Particular care is taken of students personal and environmental needs: 

• Food and hot drinks are provided at the beginning of the day and at break time.
• The toilets are cleaned several times a day.
• The school building is exceptionally clean and warm.
• The building and grounds are kept neat and free from graffiti and litter.

The school has been congratulated by parents, carers and outside agencies for:

• The exceptional care given to individual students at times of crisis.
• The progress made by students who have joined the school from establishments where they have experienced failure and distress.
• The numbers of students who have joined the school on emergency assessment placements because of their past history, who have settled and become confident and secure members of the Selly Oak Trust School community.
• The proportion of students who join the school with marked social, behavioural and academic difficulties who become secure, well-adjusted and happy citizens.
• The high level of progress demonstrating that our students are happy, secure and thriving.

The work of the Pastoral Team is supported by the school's exceptionally strong rewards and sanctions system and students participate fully in the encouragement of appropriate behaviour. The substantial and clear incentive system which continually rewards and emphasises the contribution of those students who work and behave well, makes those who work and behave well the role models for others. This in turn celebrates and confirms appropriate habits and attitudes.

The success of the system is demonstrated by the numbers of silver, gold behaviour awards achieved by students who have chosen to follow the work and behaviour ethic which leads to this recognition.