Pastoral Care

The welfare of our pupils is of paramount importance at Northfield.  We take pride in our well-targeted emotional and academic support for all pupils within our care, via our guidance system. We have a strong pastoral team which is at the heart of the supportive community that pupils and staff value.

Our governors, school leaders and staff understand that sometimes life can be really challenging for young people, and things like falling out with friends, maintaining the high standards expected, getting to school on time or, coping with difficult circumstances out of school can occasionally get in the way of their learning. We wish all our pupils to be happy in the school environment as this can have a positive and empowering effect on their ability to learn and develop as young people.

All members of staff have responsibilities for the general welfare of pupils. In addition, a formal guidance team structure exists to care for pupils in particular ways. These teams work to provide support for our pupils and their families. This work can vary enormously depending on the emerging needs of pupils and their families at a particular point in time. We regularly survey our pupils on the quality of the care that they receive at Northfield, and we take enormous pride in the knowledge that every single one of our pupils can identify at least one adult they could turn to should they need some support and guidance.

The guidance teams work in partnership with teachers, our SENCo, Learning Support Assistants and parents/carers to provide additional support to all pupils whose learning can be affected by their social, emotional and mental health needs. The staff are committed to the welfare of all pupils who receive a very high level of pastoral care.  They are encouraged to manage their own behaviour and to take responsibility for their own social development to help prepare them for their post-16 destinations and young adulthood.

We have a great deal of experience within the team supporting individual pupils with a varying degree of moderate learning difficulties, physical, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and sensory disabilities through our visual/hearing impairment base.

The guidance teams undertake ongoing relevant training to ensure that they are able to develop productive and supportive relationships with parents to support the needs of pupils and their families. We regularly liaise with outside agencies and are able to offer advice or to refer or signpost parents to additional support within their community.