Our Pupil Support Provision
At The Heights we want everyone involved with our school to feel well supported. We believe that good pastoral support focuses on nurturing the individual needs of each child. We aim to build trusting and empathic relationships with all our pupils and their families.
Our Pupil Support Team is made up of dedicated professionals and together they work with pupils so they can lead fulfilling and balanced lives at school and beyond.
All our staff model to students how to look after themselves and others; encouraging them to seek help, support or advice whenever they need it.
Pastoral Support underpins personal development and we know from experience that with outstanding pastoral care, students feel they belong and their self-esteem is able to flourish because they feel valued and cared for.
Supporting the pastoral needs of pupils sometimes involves working with external agencies. In these situations we ensure that a confidential, professional, non-judgmental and sensitive service is provided.
The role of the Pupil Support Team
- To support and work alongside parents in addressing pastoral concerns impacting on their child’s learning and development.
- To work with staff in ensuring good pupil support and build upon the caring and respectful relationships that exist between staff, pupils and families.
- To provide specialist wellbeing support to individual children; listening and talking to children who may need support in a variety of pastoral issues, for example, self-esteem and confidence, bereavement, managing feelings, anxieties/worries, separation and developing social and friendships skills.
- Provide support for pupil’s wellbeing both in and out of the classroom including responding to situations as they arise within school.
Family Support – our pastoral team works daily with families to support the child and family in the most appropriate way – our attendance team conducts daily visits to pupils if absent to school. This also allows our team to work closely with parents / carers to find the best possible way to support their child.
To ‘signpost’ families to outside services for appropriate provision and support.
Liaise with key stakeholder and external agencies such as the School Nurse, children’s social care, the police, ELCAS and other support agencies such as ‘We are with you’.
The Pupil Support Team works closely with the SEND Team to ensure the needs of all our pupils are being met to ensure they feel safe, comfortable and engaged in school. The Pastoral Team regularly meets with the SEND team.
The Pastoral Team works closely with the Lead Teacher for Personal Development (Mr Topham) to tackle any trends in behaviour and any current pastoral concerns.
Our Team is made up of dedicated professionals trained in multiple areas of Pupil Care & Support including but not limited too; Behaviour Management & de-escalation , Safeguarding (DSL Level), Mental Health First Aid, Family Support, Attendance and SEMH.
To contact a member of the pastoral team, you can do this contacting the number or email address below.
How to contact a member of the Pastoral Team
Pupils – any child in the school can ask to speak to a member of our Pupil Support Team or any member of staff in school if they have a problem or a worry at school or at home. Pupils can find a member of the team in the Behaviour or Attendance Offices.
Parents/carers – if you have a pastoral concern regarding your child then you can phone the school, speak to your child’s class teacher or make an appointment to see a member of our Pupil Support Team.
The Pupil Support Team and the wider staff body will contact parents on a regular basis to keep you informed about any issues as and when they arise in school. The Pupil Support team works closely with your child’s commissioning school to provide them with regular updates on how your child is progressing and working at The Heights.
If you are a mainstream school and wish to contact a member of the pastoral team, please contact Mr Doohan (Behaviour Lead) or Miss Morris (Assistant Headteacher) via email at behaviour@heightsblackburn-ept.com
Please call the School office on 01254 261655 or email: enquiries@heightsblackburn-ept.com
