At King Edward’s, we believe that the health, wellbeing and happiness of our boys is critical to their development and success. Pastoral care is at the heart of all that we do and we aim to create an environment where boys feel valued and supported so that they can make the most of their time here and achieve more than they imagined possible.
Form Tutors are central to the pastoral life of the School and work closely with boys and their teaching staff to monitor progress both academically and socially. Any concerns that staff have about a boy will be shared with his Form Tutor and they are also the key contact for parents.
Supporting the role of the Form Tutor are the Heads of Year, who are able to provide an overall view of their year groups. Form Tutors meet regularly with their respective Heads of Year to review the progress of all boys.
The relationship between our staff and boys is built on trust and mutual respect. The staff show genuine care for all of the boys they work with and the whole school community works together to ensure mutual wellbeing.
We are open and honest with boys and parents about the challenges they will face while growing up. We are keen to not just react quickly when issues occur, but to put in place as much preventative support as possible to minimise the impact of the inevitable ‘bumps in the road’.
If a boy does need support, there are several ways in which it can be provided. Academic support can be provided through subject help lessons, mentoring from senior boys, and Learning Support, which is based in our dedicated Study Centre. The School First Aider is available during school hours for the immediate treatment of injuries and minor illnesses, and also assists the School Medical Officer with medical examinations.
There are a number of mechanisms in place to support the mental health of our boys. An introduction to mindfulness forms part of the Year 8 curriculum and Year 9 pupils learn techniques to stay mentally healthy, which are revisited at regular intervals throughout the School. There are school counsellors to provide confidential talking therapy, a mental health nurse, who is based in school, and a child and adolescent psychiatrist is available on a case-by-case basis.
Maintaining good physical and mental health is central to success in all other areas of life and we provide a broad range of co-curricular activities and initiatives to support the wellbeing of boys.
