Pastoral Care

At Hockerill College we believe that high quality pastoral care is a fundamental and integral part in the development of all students to enable them to achieve their academic potential and most importantly be happy at College.

All staff at Hockerill have a duty of care towards the students.  Each student is a member of a tutor group which carries the name of their Equipe (House).  This is headed by a Form Tutor who is responsible for the immediate day to day pastoral care of their tutees.  This includes monitoring punctuality and attendance, uniform and general preparedness for the day.  Furthermore a Form Tutor will maintain a record of Commendations, both for academic achievement and for effort and will also take an interest in the achievements of their tutees.  Children are encouraged to engage with their Form Tutor, informing them of any notable successes or achievements outside of College and of any changing personal circumstances.  Through their daily contact with their tutees, the Form Tutor will develop a familiarity which enables them to quickly and effectively identify any changes in a student’s circumstances causing concern.  The Form Tutor is also responsible for developing the identity of the tutor group and enabling students within the group to take on roles of responsibility.  Additionally the Form Tutor’s role is to communicate key information to their tutees, ensuring that they have full access to the many opportunities which exist within the College, such as the extra-curricular provision, as well as ensuring tutees have an understanding of College policies and procedures.

As well as having a Form Tutor, each student has a Head of Year.  The Head of Year develops and maintains an awareness of all the students in their year group.  The Head of Year will monitor changing personal and social circumstances and disseminate this information to other colleagues, as appropriate, whilst providing additional support to the particular child coordinating any necessary intervention.  The Head of Year is aware of a broader picture and is therefore able to manage a response to issues which cross the boundaries between the different tutor groups.  The Head of Year is also responsible for the coordination of information and reports from subject teachers and where necessary, will meet with parents to promote inclusion, academic progress and the removal of barriers to learning. 

The Head of Year will regularly inform parents of student’s progress and will facilitate timely intervention strategies where appropriate.  The Head of Year works closely with parents to ensure the most efficient and effective solutions to any issues using a range of both internal and external resources and agencies as appropriate.

Parents can best support their child and the College by monitoring and signing their child’s planner on a weekly basis.  The planner may also be used by parents to communicate with their child’s Form Tutor.  However parents may feel it more appropriate to contact their child’s Form Tutor, subject teacher or Head of Year directly.  This should be done by contacting the College Office in the first instance.