Pastoral Care

Alleyn’s prides itself on the quality of its pastoral care.  All members of staff see it as their primary duty to ensure pupils at the School feel safe and happy. 

Both the academic and support staff receive regular briefings and training on the ways in which we can show support to children as they navigate their way through getting older and meeting the challenges of life at school and life in an exciting multicultural city.

At the heart of the pastoral work at the School is an attention to the pupil as an individual child or young adult.  At the different stages of the School, different challenges appear, but at the heart of it all is an individual pupil who wants to flourish and be happy in a way that is natural and right for her or him.  Around the pupil is an array of teaching and support staff, as well as older, younger and contemporary pupils, forming communities that help children develop, learn, enjoy new and familiar things, and feel a sense of growing comfortable in their skin, exploring the world around them.

The School works closely with parents and a bond forms between pupil, home and school which helps the individual feel safe and cared for.

Pastoral care is organised through the three Sections of the School: Lower School (Years 7–8), Middle School (Years 9–11) and Upper School (Years 12–13).  Each has its own Head of Section who is also an Assistant Head and who oversees the pastoral care, working with a dedicated team of teachers and an Administrative Assistant.

From Year 9, pupils join a House, which is run by a Housemaster, a senior pastoral figure at Alleyn’s.  This allows continuity of care from the age of 13-18, and provides a community of young people where older students can look after the younger pupils, alongside the Housemaster and his or her (we call female heads of House, ‘Housemaster’!) team of House Tutors.

Every pupil in the School has a Form Tutor from Year 7 to the final year, Year 13.  The Form Tutor (who will change as the pupil progresses through the Lower, Middle and Upper School sections) works under the Head of the relevant section and may also be connected to the pupils’ House as a House Tutor. 

In addition to the Section, House and form structure, Alleyn’s has a Chaplaincy team of a Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain.  The School also has two qualified child and adolescent psychotherapists who work as counsellors with children and their families.

The School has a dedicated team of nurses who take part in both the pastoral and safeguarding committees, and who have oversight of the work of pastoral care in the School under the leadership of the Senior Deputy Head.