At The Manor we pride ourselves on providing the most outstanding pastoral care. We cherish and nurture each child as a unique individual and every member of staff plays an important role in supporting the children’s happiness and wellbeing.
The Form Teacher is the absolute lynch-pin for every child, guiding them in all aspects of school life. Everyday pastoral matters, such as friendship ups and downs and home or school worries, are handled with the utmost care, and kindness is at the very core of what our staff teach and model for the children.
The school promotes a set of ‘Manor Values’, rather than rules, which the children become familiar very quickly. These stem from our guiding principles of challenge, cherish and inspire and are spoken about regularly in Learning for Life lessons (PSHE), assemblies and form times, as well as being role-modelled by the staff:
- Be respectful
- Be brave
- Be gentle
- Be kind and helpful
- Be conscientious and work hard
- Be a good listener
- Be honest
There are many other layers of pastoral care threaded throughout the school. Form Teachers can defer to our amazing Heads of Section (Pippa McConnell for Pre-Prep, Jennifer Shaw for Years 3&4 and Neil Jackson for Years 5&6) for input and guidance. Mrs McConnell, Mrs Shaw and Mr Jackson all have years of experience in helping and supporting pupils but, more importantly than that, they get to know all of the children and families well so that they can handle any bumps in the road with genuine empathy and compassion.
We are also lucky enough to have a dedicated Deputy Head Pastoral, Varun Footring, who leads on all matters relating to mental health, wellbeing and behaviour. Mr Footring takes the time to understand the children so that he can support with pastoral issues wherever needed and his open-door policy means that children can, and do, pop to see him for anything, big or small.
We take a restorative approach to behaviour management, focusing on repairing harm and restoring relationships. This approach allows all parties involved in an incident to address the situation together and find solutions that benefit everyone. The other great benefit is that it emphasises understanding the impact of actions, taking responsibility, and making amends.
Our School Nurse, Ellie Mitchell, works closely with Mr Footring, and indeed all of the teaching staff, whilst our wonderful Head, Mrs Hamlyn, is also very present in the children’s day-to-day school lives, making time for every child and every interaction.
There are so many aspects to pastoral care which are thoroughly woven into every aspect of the school it is difficult to convey in words, but it is fair to say that the most common feedback we receive from current parents, visitors and from families coming to look at the school is that The Manor offers a nurturing warmth and friendliness that they have simply not encountered in other settings.
