PASTORAL
PASTORAL
About
The Pastoral Care of our pupils plays a significant role in our school. Pastoral Care is the provision a school makes to ensure the physical and emotional welfare of pupils. It is the essential foundation upon which learning can take place. At ISOP, we try to provide a high standard of pastoral care that goes further than a basic commitment to wellbeing but extends to every aspect of school life in order to foster pupils’ personal development, as much as their academic progress.
The basic components of pastoral care are to promote health and well-being, resilience, academic care together with development of character and social skills. These values are the basis of our Citizenship/PSHE lessons, Form Times and Assemblies.
The pastoral team plays a very important role in the smooth day-to-day functioning of the school. It aims to meet the needs of all age groups and includes the Head of Pastoral, Heads of Year, and School Counsellors, as well as the Enhancement Co-ordinator. The team liaises with staff to foster a friendly environment in which all students are encouraged to be responsible for their actions, to think for themselves, to respect the needs of others while developing and maintaining appropriate forms of behaviour. We also strive to promote our students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, so that they become well-rounded, confident young people.
Our aims are to:
- Create and sustain a caring, positive environment which stimulates learning
- Help all pupils to realise their maximum learning potential and to celebrate their achievements
- Foster pupils’ self-esteem and respect for others and the world in which we live
However, we are well aware that our pupils also have expectations of us, both as teachers and as Form Tutors, some of which are:
- Consistency in approach to all pupils, both inside and outside the classroom
- Fairness
- Patience
- An understanding and caring response with regards to difficult situations, whether these are at home or at school
All our teachers endeavour to meet these expectations at all times. As a school, we encourage parents to contact us if they have any concerns.
In cases of sensitive issues, we are always ready to collaborate with parents in the following ways:
- Informal meeting in the first instance
- Exchange of necessary information in a formal meeting in absolute confidentiality with a member of the Management Team
- Discussion of ways to overcome problems
- Help with arranging appointments and attending meetings with Educational Psychologists and other specialists
- Approach issues ensuring every child is supported holistically and every adult supports the child in a positive manner
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The student’s mental health and wellbeing is the priority for all staff. There is a referral system where any teacher can highlight any concern. This is then followed by the Pastoral Team in a variety of ways depending on the situation. Any student coming into our school is closely monitored for the first half-term to ensure they settle into their class and the school as a whole. Form Tutors are a key member of staff in this process as they see the students, and are responsible for every morning. Additionally, they can spot patterns of non-attendance and highlight these as they may reflect a deeper issue.
Medical Support
A Nurse is available to deal with medical emergencies as well as monitoring of students. They coordinate visits from other Health Professionals such as the Dentist and Ophthalmologist.
Safeguarding
The International School of Paphos fully recognises the contribution it can make to support and protect students. We will provide a positive school environment which is safe from harm and in which any suspicion of abuse is responded to promptly and appropriately. If there are circumstances that make any member of staff suspect that a child is suffering from abuse or neglect this must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) or Head of School, as soon as possible, following the Safeguarding and Child Protection Procedures.
Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play in safeguarding, identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. The International school of Paphos has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and to keep them safe.
Counselling
School Counsellors are available for students to drop-in and speak to them if needed, or appointments can be booked. There is a system of support where teachers can refer students if they identify a concern and they would like a more informed opinion if the student needs extra support.
Learning Support
We offer Special Educational Needs, Enhancement, after school support lessons, and an English Booster programme.