Welcome to the Pastoral department
The Pastoral Team work towards positive well-being in school, supporting students and families alongside school staff and other agencies, to develop rounded and resilient individuals.
Form Tutors
Form Tutors are the students' first point of contact as they progress through the school, building relationships as well as monitoring academic and personal progress, behaviour and attendance. Once a week in Form Time, tutors lead a session from our Headstrong programme, which promotes and develops emotional health and well-being. To view the materials used please click here.
Peer Mentors
Students from Years 10 to 13 have the opportunity to volunteer and train as Peer Mentors. This scheme is a valuable way to support our younger students who may be struggling with the transition to secondary school, friendships, or other concerns. Peer Mentors are trained and supervised by the Pastoral Team, fostering communication and developing skills that mentors and mentees alike will use later on in life.
Pastoral Team
The Pastoral Team work in conjunction with Form Tutors and Heads of Year to offer support to students struggling with a range of emotional, social and health concerns.
Head of Pastoral Support: Tara Batt-Corcoran
Pastoral Assistant: Ann Barton
Pastoral Assistant: Charlene Weaver
Pastoral Assistant (Sixth Form): Trudy Hankin
Pastoral Admin Assistant: Kate Parker
The Pastoral room is a dedicated space where students can sit quietly or speak to Pastoral staff; the team offers a listening ear and ongoing emotional support.
Outside Agencies
Where appropriate, students and families may be referred to professional therapists in school for 1:1 or group sessions, including counsellors through NESSie (North Herts Emotional Support in Schools Service https://nessieined.com/), or mentoring with the Phase team (https://phase-hitchin.org/).
Where students or families require a higher tier of support around mental health, well-being and safeguarding, the Pastoral Team may liaise with external professionals, to support a student’s treatment plan in school.
FURTHER support
Apart from the below links, we have a huge list of external sources of help on our Useful Links page.
Also take a look at our A-Z Information for Parents page, where you will find a wealth of downloadable material covering all areas of well-being.
Bereavement support
http://www.stand-by-me.org.uk/
Building resilience
https://gritcharity.org/the-program
Counselling help
http://www.tilehouse.org/counselling/young-peoples-counselling
Self-referral for mental well-being
https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/services/community-services/wellbeing-service/
Young carers in Herts
Youth projects
Youth projects for young people with additional needs
