Pastoral Care Meaning: What is Pastoral Care in Schools?

Pastoral care is particularly important in primary schools where children spend some of the most formative years of their development.

In this guide for parents, we explain what to expect from pastoral care and how we approach it at our two prep schools.

Summary

• Pastoral care supports children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health, helping them feel safe, valued and understood at school.
• It is especially important during the early years when children are building confidence, resilience and ways to manage new feelings or experiences.
• Strong pastoral care creates a positive environment where pupils can learn, concentrate and thrive before, during and after lessons.
• Our prep schools have small class sizes and teachers take time to get to know the children. Both schools also have brand new playgrounds and easy access to nature, with Faraday on the banks of the Thames and Maple Walk a short walk away from Roundwood Park.
• Maple Walk has dedicated wellbeing spaces, ‘Talk Time’ sessions, ‘Seeds of Happiness’ lessons, therapy dog Nova and much more.
• Faraday also takes a holistic approach, with therapeutic support available for all children and their families.

Pastoral care meaning

If someone is providing pastoral care, no matter the location, it means they are supporting someone’s emotional and mental health.

Historically, the term is rooted in religious traditions. Today pastoral care is a concept you will most commonly find applied to healthcare and education.

What is pastoral care in schools?

School staff can provide pastoral care by supporting the wellbeing, emotional and mental health of pupils as well as their families.

All parents would expect schools to keep their children physically safe and looked after as a standard requirement. But pastoral care requires additional support and measures in place, to anticipate and guide pupils through any concerns or worries they have.

It is very important to offer pastoral care in schools, especially at primary or prep schools, when young children are learning and experiencing so much for the first time. These are very important years of their development.

Strong pastoral care provides a safe emotional environment that helps children concentrate during lessons, learn and perform at their very best. It also helps children feel that they belong, are valued and free from fear or judgment.

Furthermore, it can teach children how to handle their feelings and build resilience for the future. It provides a supportive link between school and home life, with emotional care in place while children are spending the day away from their families.

There are many different ways of providing pastoral care at school. At the New Model School Company, we are proud to have two highly reputable prep schools with multiple industry awards, Maple Walk and Faraday, which won The Independent School of The Year’s Independent Prep School of The Year 2024.

With our philosophy of ‘small school, big heart’ central to our approach, below we outline the measures we have in place to provide outstanding pastoral care at both of our prep schools.

Pastoral care at Maple Walk

Maple Walk has a dedicated Wellbeing Zone, where pupils can enjoy quiet time during their lunch break or take part in a wide range of activities that change daily.

• For example, on Wednesdays, there’s our ‘Talk Time’ initiative. Children can sign up in advance to chat with an experienced member of staff about any worries, thoughts or feelings.
• Our very popular school therapy dog, Nova, comes to Maple Walk every Monday and Thursday. Nova is training in the PAWS Therapy Dogs Programme. Whether working with children to support their regulation, confidence and engagement or being available for a quick stroke and cuddle, Nova plays a key part in supporting their emotional wellbeing.
• During our headteacher’s ‘Seeds of Happiness’ classes, pupils learn about the science of happiness, how their brains work and why. These lessons help children understand their emotions, build resilience and develop positive wellbeing strategies, giving them valuable skills to use during school, at home and in the future.

Maple Walk also has smaller than average class sizes by design. We believe that with smaller class sizes, every child has more space to thrive academically and emotionally. It makes it easier for all our staff to know the children well, so that they feel safe, seen, encouraged and valued.

To read more about any of the above, read our full page on pastoral care at Maple Walk.

Pastoral care at Faraday

Faraday has many measures in place to support not only children’s wellbeing but family members too:

• Greta Urbanaviciute, an Integrative Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), provides private one-to-one therapy sessions for children.
• Greta previously worked with Faraday as our school counsellor. She has extensive experience supporting children with emotional wellbeing, anxiety, bereavement, attachment and life transitions.
• Her approach is warm, empathic and child-centred. She offers a safe and supportive space for children to explore their feelings through talking, creative expression and play.

As with Maple Walk, class sizes at Faraday are deliberately smaller than average, to provide the best possible environment for children to learn and thrive with confidence and attentive support. All our staff know every child well.

At both schools, we also have brand new playgrounds with a wide range of facilities, providing physical as well as mental health benefits through outdoor play and space.

For more details, learn more about our approach to pastoral care at Faraday.

About us: New Model School Company

Faraday and Maple Walk are independent co-ed prep schools in London for children aged 4-11 offering an inspiring curriculum, many enriching extra-curricular clubs and holistic pastoral care.

Both schools also provide opportunities for outdoor learning, with Faraday located on the banks of the Thames and Maple Walk only a few minutes’ walk away from Roundwood Park.

Our core values are:

• Curiosity: seeking knowledge and to love learning
• Creativity: innovating and collaborating
• Community: encouraging a sense of belonging

Our fees are in the bottom 10% of London’s independent primary schools. Our schools are also proudly not for profit. We reinvest any surpluses back into the schools and believe they offer excellent value for money.

Read more about life at Maple Walk and Faraday on their websites. To find out more about the New Model School Company, please don’t hesitate to contact us.