Pastoral

Andy Marshall – Deputy Head Pastoral

“During my career I have developed a passion for the benefits of holistic education in Schools. Both my children attended Ballard and it was a privilege to witness them embracing all the many fantastic opportunities on offer here. I believe effective pastoral care provides the foundation stone upon which everything else in the School can take place. My vision is for proactive pastoral care that empowers Ballard pupils to take charge of their lives, to achieve their best academically and to develop into well-rounded young adults.

The well-being of our pupils and staff is crucial and this encompasses physical and mental health, emotional health, social health and spiritual health. I am committed to working with the whole community to ensure the highest possible levels of wellbeing for our pupils, both in terms of their experiences in School and also in their lives outside of School.”

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.

Investment in people, process and technology ensures that we can provide a positive, pastoral package for our pupils. Our recent restructure created a Deputy Head Pastoral, two mental health leaders, doubled our ELSA provision, ensured all the team were DSL trained and added crucial administrative support; allowing us to keep on top of the negative impacts of the pandemic on well-being.

The School has a dedicated, full time, registered nurse, who works 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.