St. Catherine’s is well known for its strong pastoral care, which rests on the warm, trusting relationships between staff, girls and parents.
THE TEAM
The Form Tutor
Each girl has a Form Tutor, who is the primary contact for her and her parents. The Form Tutor maintains an overview of each girl’s progress, both academic and personal, as well as providing day-to-day pastoral care. Each Form Tutor is supported by an Assistant Tutor who will also form a strong, supportive bond with the girls in his or her Form.
The Head of Lower and Middle School
The Heads of Lower and Middle School have the academic and pastoral overview of all students in his/her allocated cohort, working closely with the Form Tutors and Assistant Tutors. The Pastoral Head also takes a lead role in running any events relating to his/her cohort. The Pastoral Heads can be contacted by parents over any concerns they may have relating to their daughter or her cohort.
Sixth Form
Each girl is a member of a Form Group, comprising girls in both Year 12 and Year 13. Each Sixth Form Tutor is highly experienced, and Tutor Groups are deliberately small. This means that every girl can receive individual help and attention, whether she is feeling exam pressure or needs help crafting her UCAS personal statement. The Tutor maintains a close overview of the academic and pastoral development of each girl. Through regular one-to-one meetings with both her Tutor and the Head of Sixth Form, each girl is able to have any concerns addressed at an early stage.
The Independent Listener
All girls are able to make private, confidential appointments with our Independent Listener, who is a qualified counsellor.
The Independent Listener is pleased to support girls with a range of therapeutic and behavioural skill approaches. The Independent Listener is an integral part of the pastoral care and safeguarding of girls.
THE DEPUTY HEAD PASTORAL
The Deputy Head Pastoral works closely with the Independent Listener, the Heads of Lower and Middle School, the Head of Sixth Form and the Headmistress to maintain a detailed pastoral overview of all girls in the Senior School and to provide support to girls and parents as required. The Deputy Head Pastoral is the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and leads a strong safeguarding team.
PSHE
PSHE is delivered primarily in weekly, timetabled lessons, and is supplemented by a number of specialist sessions throughout the year. Topics covered include:
- Online safety;
- Drugs and alcohol education;
- Emotional resilience;
- Relationships and Sex education.
We are also pleased to offer regular talks for parents on a range of topics. In addition, Parent Partnership Workshops are an interactive way for parents to engage with topics relevant to their daughters.
Our PSHE provision is regularly reviewed to ensure it meets the needs of our students in an ever-changing world, and parents are welcome to contact the Deputy Head or their daughter’s Form Tutor if they have any queries.
SAFEGUARDING
Safeguarding our students and protecting them from harm is the School’s highest priority. A copy of our Safeguarding Policy can be found on the website in the Policies section, which also provides details of how to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead. If you wish to report a safeguarding concern, you can contact the team via email to safeguarding@stcatherineschool.co.uk.
The 6-person team are highly trained and skilled at working with girls, families and external agencies when required.
