‘The care is evident, which allows for a beautiful community to be formed’
Local Authority Safeguarding Audit September 2021
Pastoral care at George Mitchell is second to none. This is evidenced in our recent Safeguarding Audit, which graded our school as 1;1;1 (the highest possible grade in each area). From the moment your child enters George Mitchell, their happiness and welfare is our main priority. We believe that everyone has a pastoral responsibility and this is firmly embedded in our ethos. From our daily systems, procedures and routines keeping everyone safe to our dedicated and passionate pastoral team making every child feel valued, we ensure that no child is left behind.
A critical feature of pastoral care at George Mitchell is how well staff know our student’s unique circumstances so they can learn effectively. The quality of relationships, strong partnerships, high expectations and how all our staff respond to the needs of specific pupils and groups means that students in our care thrive and flourish.
Tutors are there for first point of contact with students, providing daily support and delivering our exceptional pastoral curriculum. Every morning, students learn about core culture and character values of kindness, respect and keeping themselves and others safe from harm. Our experienced Learning Leaders work tirelessly to harness and foster positive working relationships with home, ensuring that there is support for every family within our community. However, we also recognise that there are times when students need more support than tutors and LLs are able to offer. This is where we call upon the expertise and experience of our in-house specialist teams of mentors and safeguarding leads
Our multi agency approach and regular information sharing forums such as ‘Inclusion Panel Meetings’ and ‘Pupil Progress Meetings’ allow us to proactively identify students requiring extra support. We are then able to use every resource available to us to ensure students continue to make progress.
Whether it be helping students make the right behaviour choices, supporting students with relationships, helping them through difficult times, supporting with mental and physical health issues, our team works tirelessly to meet every child’s needs. We understand that trauma of any kind can affect a child’s behaviour. By acknowledging and supporting children through their experiences we hope to not only help them to become more resilient but also ensure that they leave our school with positive outcomes for their future.
At George Mitchell we do not believe that pastoral care begins and ends with the adults in our school community. Embracing student leadership qualities at all ages fosters a caring, compassionate environment among the student body. We are proud of the role that Peer Mentors, Student Ambassadors and the Friends Against Bullying teams all play in contributing to the outstanding pastoral care that George Mitchell prides itself on. As a result, students feel safe at George Mitchell School.
For further information about Safeguarding, please visit the Safeguarding page.
‘Students are at the heart of both schools and this is apparent in the way students describe their experiences as well as how the staff talk about their students. The care is evident which allows for a beautiful community to be formed where students feel safe and supported by staff within their school.’ Waltham Forest Deputy LADO, Waltham Forest Safeguarding Audit 2021