Upper Shirley High School - Welcome to our Pastoral Department!

Home » Our School » Pastoral » Welcome to our Pastoral Department!

Welcome to our Pastoral Department!

Our Pastoral Organisation

Central to our ethos is the pastoral organisation of the school which is based on a family system of four school houses: Aviators, Engineers, Mariners and Venturers. Each is led by a teaching Head of House, whose focus is primarily on teaching and learning and academic achievement. Their key responsibility is to track each student in their house to ensure they achieve their academic potential as well as enjoying a safe, healthy and happy educational experience throughout their school career.

The student voice is extremely important in our school and students hold a number of key responsibilities from prefects to sports captains, from librarians to student mentors and so the heads of House are well supported by a student House Captain and Sports Captain, whose focus is on inter-house competition and support. These senior students are part of the senior student team which includes the headboy and deputy headboys who meet with me on a regular basis. As the year groups develop our girls will take up key senior positions. Ready for year 9 next year some of the girls have been elected as the first female house captains.

Student council elections are held every year and the council meets with me on a half-termly basis. The student council is subdivided into working groups with responsibilities for charity work, international links, working with teachers on improving teaching and learning and one group is currently working with the governors on our new building plans (BSF).

We have family tutor groups, including students from year 7 - 11, this enables the older students to support the younger ones in school, be positive role models and prevent bullying. Our older students also support activities in our cluster schools from literacy supportprogrammes with infant aged pupils to organising and supervising sporting activities. The family based tutor groups have had a real impact on bullying and students will talk openly about how little bullying there is and what occurs is dealt with quickly and effectively.

Running alongside the House system we have a strong and successful Student Support Service which covers all areas of pastoral support including: attendance, special educational needs, emotional support, support for students with English as an additional language and ‘Gifted and Talented’. This is a highly effective team which has the confidence of parents and students alike.