PASTORAL CARE

Form tutors provide outstanding pastoral care through their regular contact with pupils during the day and are the first point of contact for parents. Central to their role is the academic and pastoral monitoring of pupils across all subjects so information about your child’s progress from specialist subject teachers will always be passed on to the tutor. Tutors establish strong home-school links with weekly information about school events: the curriculum and homework as well as spending time getting to know every child and their family. Parents are encouraged to take a keen interest in their child’s education with tutors available at the start and end of each day for informal discussions. More formal parents’ meetings take place each term and tutors are available at other times by mutual agreement.

Rewards and sanctions are monitored closely by tutors with commendations being awarded and certificates presented during the weekly celebration chapel. Tutors promote a positive learning environment where mistakes are viewed as an essential part of a child’s learning journey. Tutors have high expectations of behaviour and pupils’ attitudes towards learning, carefully monitoring behaviour and providing strategies to support pupils to make improvements in close liaison with parents.

Abbotsholme School’s values are actively promoted across the Preparatory School with Stars of the Week certificates awarded for those pupils living the values. An active school council ensures that pupils’ views about their school are carefully considered and discussed with the Head of the Preparatory School. Leadership is promoted with a variety of prefect positions carried out by Year 6 pupils and the expectation that they are positive role models to younger pupils.

 

PERSONALISED LEARNING

Abbotsholme School aims to provide a ‘whole person’ approach to education. It believes we should give pupils the best possible start. Consequently there is a whole school approach to specific learning differences. Pupils are fully integrated into everyday life and lessons. Staff are aware of their needs and difficulties and make appropriate adjustments. The specialist department provides help on a small group basis to any pupil who has special educational needs. The aim is to assist the pupil, whether dyslexic, dyscalculic, dyspraxic or with other specific learning differences to realise his/her full potential.

Within the department there is a strong focus on literacy as this underpins learning in all subjects. Teaching strategies encompass a highly structured, sequential, multi-sensory programme by trained specialists utilising a well-resourced area.

The specialised lessons are held in the normal school day with possible withdrawal from modern foreign languages. Specialised teaching in small groups allows for peer interaction, group dynamics and a small amount of competition.

The aim of the department is to develop the pupils’ skills in all areas of life, to teach the integration of skills and foster the ability to learn independently so each pupil achieves to their potential.

 

Stretch and Challenge

Pupils who have achieved mastery of key skills in literacy and mathematics, will be further challenged to use and apply these skills within problem solving tasks. Collaboration is encouraged along with higher order thinking skills so pupils are able to analyse and explain concepts with clarity.