Lisnagarvey High School

Pastoral Care in Lisnagarvey

The Pastoral Care element in Lisnagarvey High School contributes to the creation of a supportive atmosphere in the school for both teachers and pupils. Pastoral Care supports the development of the whole pupil intellectually, spiritually, socially and personally. It is the concern of all teaching staff therefore is fully integrated into the classroom. As an integrated part of the whole curriculum, the Pastoral care element is evident in:

• The hidden curriculum (school ethos and interpersonal relationships)
• Extra-curricular activities (membership of clubs and societies)
• Individual subjects (methodologies and monitoring and recording of achievements)
• Discipline procedures (designed to bring pupils to personal autonomy)v
• Reward procedures (to acknowledge both effort and achievement)

Every teacher has a pastoral role and every contact between teacher and pupil presents an opportunity to develop the caring and learning environment we are trying to realise. Pastoral Care is implemented in Lisnagarvey High School through a clearly identifiable structure with the focus led by the Head of Pastoral Care in conjunction with the Heads of School, Year Heads and Class Tutors.

This system, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, means that pupils are aware of and may benefit from the obvious chain of communication.

Aims

The aims of Pastoral Care are:

• to create a happy, caring, secure and supportive atmosphere for all members of the School community
• to provide a stimulating environment to encourage the development of the whole pupil
• To provide a broad and balanced programme of work, both practical and formal in preparation for adult working life
• to enable pupils to become contributing members of the community by developing appropriate skills and competencies
• to provide opportunities for pupils to develop a set of attitudes, moral values and beliefs in order to maintain good habits of self-discipline
• to support the active promotion of a sense of achievement both in the academic and non-academic school experience of every pupil
• to create an atmosphere in which pupils do not accept bullying, stealing, offensive language, fighting or the destruction of property
• to promote critical and analytic thought on such issues as feelings and emotions, community, parenthood, self-esteem, friendships and relationships

Pastoral