Pastoral Care

If one of our girls complains of feeling unwell or we notice them looking under the weather, they visit our Junior Office. We will make an assessment, as well as offering all the usual quick remedies as you would at home like a drink of water, a visit to the bathroom, a lie down in our Junior School Medical Room or simply some TLC. If we think your daughter needs a dose of paracetamol, you will have given permission for this with initial medical paperwork but we always call parents to let them know as well.

Class Teachers make sure they offer girls plenty of opportunities to go to the toilet in our purpose built Nursery toilets. Our toilets are part of the classroom and are smaller than your toilets at home to help even our smallest girls to use them independently. One of the reasons that our Nursery girls wear shorts, leggings or joggers rather than skirts and tights is to make it quick and easy for them to use the toilets independently. Of course, accidents do occasionally happen and we suggest that parents pop a change of clothes including knickers (clothes do not need to be school uniform) in a bag on their daughter’s peg at the beginning of the year. Any accidents are dealt with sensitively by staff and parents are made aware at the end of the day so they can wash uniform and return spares to the peg the next day.

Sharing is an important skill for three and four year olds to learn and this will often take time. We talk a lot in Nursery about how we treat each other and how we speak to others. We discuss feelings and how our actions affect others. It is also important that the girls see staff at school and adults at home model the behaviour that we would like them to learn.

In every lesson, every day girls are empowered to have a voice. Sharing ideas, justifying answers, reading their work, performing to the class; each of these moments helps to build confidence in each girl. On top of that weekly Drama and Music with specialist teachers develops the skills of performance and creativity. Girls then have numerous opportunities to perform in front of a variety of audiences. From informal concerts to whole school productions girls acquire the skills of presentation, learning how to use body and voice to communicate their message as well as developing the ability to harness nerves rather than being overwhelmed by them. Whether on the stage or in the boardroom, girls who grow up with regular opportunities to perform in front of an audience display more confidence in these situations.

Our staff are always available for a quick chat at the beginning or end of the day. Nursery girls also have a contact book for notes, especially if they are being dropped by someone else or are attending Ivy club. Our working parents may prefer to email their daughter’s class teacher to communicate. This means parents can send a question when they think of it, even if that is halfway through a meeting or on the train home!