Pastoral
What do we mean by “pastoral care?”
Very often pastoral care in schools is associated with reactive safeguarding, dealing with behaviour and issuing sanctions, of course, this reactive approach is common in many schools and has its place at Ballard from time to time. However, in order for our pupils to achieve their best academically, to flourish into well-rounded young adults, and to have a sense of wellbeing and happiness in School, we can’t just rely on reactive pastoral care. At Ballard, we understand the importance of Proactive Pastoral Care (PPC) to achieve such outcomes for our pupils.
At Ballard, well-being is embedded within our culture. The Ballard Family is a welcoming community everyone is accepted and School is a positive place to be. This familial bond, a sense of belonging and culture of acceptance underpins everything we do.
Our pastoral team consists of all our Heads and Deputy Heads of Sections, SENCO, pastoral support assistants, school nurses and PSHE lead, overseen by our Deputy Head Pastoral, are all DSL trained. We have a dedicated wellbeing room with three trained ELSA providers ensuring that we offer excellent support to all who need it.
The School has two dedicated, part-time, registered nurses, who work from a well-equipped medical room.
We are delighted to have been recognised for our pastoral strength with a number of nominations for Well-being Awards. You may read our Independent School Association’s entry here and watch the supporting video below.
