Working Together, Achieving More  ~  Cydweithio a Chyflawni

Headteacher: Mr P. Grimes

Tudor Street, Ystradgynlais, Swansea, SA9 1AP

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More about Wellbeing

Pastoral care at Ysgol Maesydderwen is a strength of our school with pupil wellbeing at the heart of what we do. The caring ethos of our students is reflected in how they support each other both in and outside of school and can be clearly ‘felt’ throughout our community.

Our students are encouraged to make the most of their time at Ysgol Maesydderwen so every effort is made to remove obstacles to learning and to equip young people with confidence and skills to be successful members of our school and local community.

In addition to our Progress Tutors, we have a specialist team of people who are responsible for the pastoral care of our students (see below) led by Miss Kirsty Irvine, Deputy Headteacher who is responsible for inclusion, learner engagement, attendance, safeguarding and wellbeing within the school. Progress leaders promote and support engagement and wellbeing within their Year groups and are supported by Learner Support Officers.

Our Pastoral team is made up of:
Progress Leader for Year 7 and Transition - Mrs Kirsten Johns
Progress Leader for Years 8 and 9 - Mrs Ruth Bullions
Progress Leader for Years 10 and 11 - Mr James Lewis
Progress Leader for Sixth Form - Mrs Caryl Jones

Pastoral Support Assistants:
Mr Huw Thomas
Mrs Lucy Watkins
Mr Sean Harvey
Mr Joe Muzil

Daily check-ins are an important part of the pastoral care that we offer and are part of the Trauma Informed Schools approach that we follow. Each Progress Tutor will check-in with all children during morning registration. Progress Leaders or Learner Support Officers will follow up with any children who may need further support. Additionally, some children have targeted daily check-ins with a named member of staff to support them in school.

Children are made aware that they can talk to our Pastoral Team or any member of staff to discuss issues they may be experiencing. One strategy may be to complete One Page Profile with that student as a means of discussing how we can best support them. This will be shared with the class teachers and parents. All school staff will always listen, comfort and work together with the child and families to ensure a positive outcome.

To ensure that pupil wellbeing is at the core of teaching and learning, all pupils in Years 10 and 11 study ‘Sweet’. Sweet is an innovative and engaging resource used to deliver a BTEC Level 1 and 2 qualification in Personal Growth and Wellbeing. Mapped against, and supporting the delivery of, the Health and Wellbeing AoLE and RSE new curriculum. Sweet teaches valuable skills to help students lead happier, healthier and more successful lives. Available in both Welsh and English, Sweet creates engaging conversations about life’s big issues, helping learners to gain a better knowledge of themselves and the world around them.

A variety of interventions are run within our ‘Enfys’ centre by trained staff to ensure bespoke programmes of support for our pupils. Emotional and behaviour support is offered, mentoring and coaching, careers advice, focused ‘Trauma Informed’ work and restorative justice, to name but a few. To compliment these programmes, our Pastoral Team work very closely with a variety of outside agencies, such as Children’s Services, Educational Psychology Service, Learner Support, Youth Intervention Service and the Kooth counselling service to ensure that the right wellbeing support is in place for our pupils and their families.

The aims of pastoral support at Maesydderwen:

• To provide support that meets the differing needs of all students so that each child is equipped with the social and emotional skills needed for life.
• To support children to address social, spiritual, mental, emotional and physical needs.
• To maintain an atmosphere in which children feel secure, are encouraged in their learning, growth and social development and know that they are valued within a healthy and safe environment.
• To support parents/carers with emotional health.
• To work with a range of stakeholders, parents, support staff, outreach agencies and other schools to ensure the continuity and progress of individual pupils.

The role of the Pastoral 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 student support and build upon the caring and respectful relationships that exist between staff, pupils and families.
• To provide specialist support for 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.
• Responding to situations as they arise within school.
• Provide learning coach support for KS4 and 5 students to manage exam stress.
• Meeting with parents/carers to discuss issues relating to their child.
• To ‘signpost’ families to outside services for appropriate provision and support

Pastoral Care

Outstanding

Ysgol Maesydderwen.

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pastoral care is at
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