‘Helping to prepare our pupils for Success’

Pastoral Care and Support are central to any school setting and the responsibility of all staff working at LPS. The Pastoral Care and Support Team enhance this provision to address aspects that have a wider impact on a young person’s overall access to education and their well-being as an individual. In working with the young people who attend LPS the first step is to establish trust with the pupils; the Pastoral Care Team (PCT) play an important role in creating and supporting the positive mental health and wellbeing of all pupils through establishing key relationships and trust. This involves several strategies and processes as detailed below:

-Teachers and key staff will refer pupils who may need additional support in regards to MHWB, SEN or behaviour to the PCT
- PCT staff will then observe, assess and attend meetings to gather a ‘whole picture’ of the child referred
-PCT staff will then create an action plan for teachers and key staff to follow throughout a set period of time (see referral process attached)
-Children may be referred for 1-1 meetings with our Rest Easy team

The information gathered from these processes and meetings will help form the basis of their Personal Communication Plan (PCP), which key staff across the school can use and build upon.

By working with whole classes and key pupils PCT are able to build formative relationships and slowly begin to build trust and facilitate a more positive
experience of school. Trusting relationships are established by:

- being playful in our approach (use humour where we can)
- listening to our pupils
-being pro-active in supporting them
-Controlled, dignified and skilled intervention.  Providing a calm
environment which is conducive to study and respite.

Many of our pupils are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Condition.  It is essential that as a whole staff team ‘we try to see the world through their eyes’.  PCP’s begin from the position of the individual and gather insights about how they see and experience their world, knowing what motivates or interests them but importantly what may also cause anxiety, or distress them and how we can support them.

In making every effort to understand, respect and relate to how a young person sees and interacts with their world, the Pastoral Care Team (PCT) attempts to develop communication strategies and reduce anxiety. Crucial to this approach are the staffs personal attributes of calmness, consistency, good humour, empathy and an analytical thinking. Behaviours are a form of communication and it is key to achievement that the young people at LPS can identify, determine and control their own behaviours to help improve their communication skills and independence.

The power of collaborative working to enhance teaching and learning should not be underestimated.  The forging of strong links with parents and a range of professionals both internally and appropriate external agencies is vital, and key to the important sharing of information which then informs our day to day practice.

The PCT at school is central to facilitating this collaboration and co-ordinating support for the young people.

The Role and Rationale of the Pastoral Care Team

The role of our Pastoral Care Team is to promote emotional well-being, positive mental health and to assist in the identification and support of those presenting with inappropriate behaviours which impact on their access to learning.

Aims and Objectives
-To provide a complimentary service that enhances the existing provision
within school to support learning.
-To reduce barriers to learning.
-To build positive relationships based on trust and understanding.
-Promoting self-confidence, emotional well-being and independence for
our pupils.
-To support a whole child approach.

How can these objectives be achieved?

- Through the promoting and safeguarding the welfare of our pupils.
-By working with individual young people and in small groups in order to promote their emotional well-being and establish positive behaviours.
- By reviewing pre-admission documentation to ensure a smooth transition and induction. To work proactively with the young person in assisting a successful transfer into LPS but also assisting in the transition when they move on to other placements.
-Through identifying the early signs of disengagement and contribute to specific interventions to encourage re-engagement.
-By developing and maintaining effective and supportive relationships with the young person and those engaged with them.
- Through supporting the development of PCP’s which provides key staff with the knowledge and strategies to support the unique needs of each pupil.
-To work and liaise with parents, carers and internal and external professionals to ensure a successful whole child approach is created and maintained
-To work with Speech and Language therapists and the physiotherapist developing positive communication strategies, considering sensory differences and reducing anxiety.
- By assisting in the devising, implementing and evaluating of monitoring systems for identified areas of specific intervention.
- By developing an agreed and implemented time bound action plan with individual pupils and groups to help in the assessment of the learning styles and needs and in co-ordination of key staff.
-Through liaison with external partners to create learning opportunities.

-Through providing advice, data analysis information and resources to internal professionals in order to assist them in providing the necessary support to support individuals and groups.
-Through identifying and sharing good practice.
-By contributing to the development of policies and practices which promote engagement and educational achievement.
-By managing the Pastoral Care facility and maintain all relevant records;

1. The records and session notes for individuals
2. Physical Intervention records
3. Anti-Bullying records
4. Induction packs for new pupils

-By assisting in training relating to the completion of Incident reports and relevant issues with regard to supporting any exhibiting behaviours.
-Through establishing strong links with Parents and Carers and whererequested offering supportive advice and strategies to help in the homesetting.
-Through relevant MHWB training and CPD
                       

Team members

Mrs Piggott - Family Liaison Officer

Mrs Tyler-Ross- Inclusion Manager/SENDCO

Emily Gearing - Rest Easy MHWB Practitioner 

Mrs Hill - Mental Health First Aider

Mrs Anderson - Mental Health First Aider

Entry Criteria (why and how are pupils at LPS referred for Pastoral Care?)

A child or young person may be referred to Pastoral Care for many different reasons, here are a few examples;

-Disengaged from learning
- Low level negative behaviours
- Difficulty with relationships (including relational conflict and bullying)
- High levels of anxiety
-Consistent low moods

Pathways into Pastoral Support

- A member of staff can refer a young person.
- A child or young person can identify a support need and a member of Pastoral Support can complete a referral on their behalf.
-A need for support can be identified from a spike in one of our key indicators (Incident levels/Physical Interventions/ Reflection times)

Completing a referral?

Any member of staff can make a referral for an individual to receive enhanced
Pastoral Care and Support. The following is a step by step guide of how to refer
an individual and what to expect:

1. Complete a referral form (found in the staff room) and return it to the PCT.
2. Referrals are discussed at a weekly meeting; if the referral fits the remit of Pastoral Care Team, an initial Action Plan will be formulated and all key staff will be notified of the support provided (this will be time limited and have identified achievable outcomes).
3. Observations will be completed if Pastoral Care is requested due to a pupil/pupils experiencing difficulty in a particular lesson or area of school. Observation feedback will always be supportive, constructive and positively stated.
4. Session notes and action plans will be recorded to monitor the impact and effectiveness of the intervention.

Learning takes place in the classroom, therefore, although the child or young person may have to be outside of the classroom at times, this will be with a clear plan to reintroduce the pupil back into the classroom at the earliest opportunity. Close liaison with teaching staff ensures that any learning away from the classroom remains teacher led.

Exit Criteria

1. At the outset, an action plan will have notified key staff how long the intervention is expected to last. This will be reviewed in close liaison with key staff and can be extended and changed if necessary.
2. Barriers to learning have been identified and staff informed and therefore empowered to support the child and young person within the classroom.
3. Individuals have met the personal targets set in relation to their main areas of need identified in the referral and assessment and are able to function socially and emotionally in a more positive manner, within the main school setting with or without additional support.
4. If interventions fail and targets are not achieved. Further discussion will then be had as to what level of support and provision is needed in order to make progress.