Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

Lower School (Year 7)

The Lower School year is an exciting one, full of great change and many new experiences and opportunities. We aim to help pupils deal successfully with the transition from Junior to Senior School to settle in quickly and develop essential organizational skills. We also introduce them to a broad and exciting curriculum and encourage them to try a wide range of fantastic co-curricular activities.

The Form Tutors, who are experienced at dealing with transition, work closely with their groups and build positive relationships with children and their families. They are responsible for the day-to day care of pupils in their form throughout Year 7, working to meet their individual needs and supporting them with any concerns. Form Tutors meet their forms for 25 minutes each morning. They also teach the Learning for Life (PSHE) programme and are a key point of contact for parents and teachers. Tutors will help their tutees prepare for the transition into the Middle School, where pupils move into new Form groups for the next four years.

Middle School (Years 8 – 9)

King Edward’s is a listening school. We take our pupils’ views seriously and provide opportunities at every level for them to be involved in decision making about their lives. 

The Middle School years are a time of transition and discovery. We want our pupils to grow in confidence and to enjoy this time of their life.

The Tutor celebrates achievement with the form, sets targets to aspire to and supports pupils through those occasional difficult moments. The Tutor, who remains with the form group for the four years of both Middle and Upper School, is the first point of contact for parents in all matters concerning their children. The Tutors work closely with the year heads and head of sector who have the overview of the Middle School. The year heads set the tone for their year groups both in terms of behaviour and also in academic matters. They also accompany the cohort during their four year journey from Year 8 to Year 11.

Upper School (Years 10-11)

Our focus in the Upper School is developing articulate, independent, well-rounded and interesting young adults who are equipped with the skills that will enable them to be happy and successful and to thrive in both their GCSE and Sixth Form studies. We continue to value a healthy balance of academic achievement and also all that King Edward’s has to offer outside the classroom.

The Tutor continues with their pupils from the Middle School and is well placed to guide them as they navigate their way through their GCSE curriculum. Alongside the pupils’ Tutor, their Head of Year follows them into the Upper School, ensuring a continuity of pastoral care.

"Pupils exhibit mature, supportive and highly productive relationships with peers and staff."

2023 ISI REPORT QUOTE

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is about self-discovery, growing independence and learning to lead within the School community. Most Year 11 pupils continue into Year 12 and are joined at this stage by around 25-30 pupils from other schools.

Click here to find out more about our pastoral approach in Sixth Form.

The School Day

The School operates a two-week timetable, Monday to Friday, with normal school hours from 8.40am to 4.00pm daily. Pupils may arrive onto the school site at 8:00am. After-school activities in areas such as Sport, Music, Drama and CCF, typically finish by 5:30pm. Those pupils who are not taking part in after-school activities are permitted to go to the Library, which is supervised until 5.45pm.

Food and Nutrition (Lunches)

Lunches are booked on a termly basis and are served in the Wessex Building. A canteen system offers pupils a choice of freshly prepared hot and cold meals made on the premises by our own catering staff.

The catering team aim to offer a wide variety of dishes, using sustainable, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The Wessex Building provides pupils with ample room to sit with their friends in a light and spacious dining area, with additional seating on the terrace outside. Pupils choosing to bring their own packed lunch from home are also welcome to use the seated dining hall facilities.

We actively seek feedback and suggestions from our pupils through the School Council to ensure that we are providing a food offering that caters for a wide range of dietary needs, has suitable variety, is nutritious, sustainable and tasty.

Pupil Voice

Pupil representatives are elected from each Form to collect ideas and views and to relay and discuss these openly at our Year Group Forums which take place once every half term, with members of the Senior Prefect team and their Head of Year. Each year group will then elect a representative to serve on the School Council, which also meets half termly. Within the School Council, ideas are presented by each year group representative, and wherever possible, practical suggestions are put forward on how to implement any proposed changes that will benefit the wider pupil population. 

The School Council has influenced recent uniform changes, the timings of the school day and the new lunch menus,and pupils have been involved at every stage of planning for the new teaching and pastoral building that is due in 2025.  

The Sustainability Group, which is led by pupils across the different sections of the School has been pivotal in driving forward the School’s aim to become the greenest school in Bath. They have fed into the design and roll out of new recycling projects, supported the move away from plastic packaging within our lunch offering and have begun to consider how to engage the wider school community on reducing our carbon footprint related to travel to and from school.

There are also numerous informal opportunities for pupils’ voices to be heard. One of the great strengths of King Edward’s is the relationships between the pupils and their teachers, and so pupil input is frequent and respected. 

"Pupils have a powerful understanding of their role and responsibilities and the effects of their actions on the community. They are strongly collaborative in their approach to all aspects of school life."

2023 ISI REPORT QUOTE

Learning for Life

We have ambitious aims with our Learning for Life (PSHE) programme. The subject seeks to help pupils develop good character, make wise choices and to foster the skills and attributes that they will need for a successful life beyond school. Devised and coordinated by the Head of Learning for Life and delivered by Form Tutors as part of the academic curriculum, the fortnightly one-hour lesson also makes use of expert visiting speakers and is reinforced in form time and assemblies.

An essential part of a King Edward’s education, Learning for Life has a pupil-centred approach that continuously evolves in response to pupil needs. Each year group may well have what appears to be a ‘stand alone’ lesson, but every session develops on previous teaching. This enables a spiral programme which starts in Year 7 and continues throughout a pupil’s time at KES.

Sessions cover a broad range of topics, including digital citizenship, period poverty, TikTok’s privacy settings, how to vote, the science of drugs, controlling relationships, the difference between debit and credit cards and so on. By providing our pupils with a programme that reflects their needs in this modern world, we aspire to develop and strengthen pupils’ own feelings of well-being and self-worth and to motivate them to discover and create informed opinions about the world around them.

Counselling and Listening Service

Pupils have access to an independent listening service, provided by Off the Record, as well as to a confidential counselling service. Pupils are able to request an appointment with the counsellor or listening service to discuss anything that they are concerned about. A pupil may also be encouraged to attend a session with the counsellor or listening service by a member of the Health & Wellbeing Staff or another member of staff.

Our School Chaplain is also available as a pastoral support and confidential listening ear.

Physical Health

We recognise the important role that physical activity plays in developing a positive sense of wellbeing in our pupils. We look to nurture an enjoyment of physical activity, whether through our Physical Education curriculum, our games lessons or through providing opportunities to use our new state-of-the-art gym. Aside from the physical and mental health benefits that these activities afford, they also offer opportunities for our pupils to develop friendships and to enhance the sense of community within our school.

Safeguarding

King Edward’s School is committed to the highest standards of to safeguarding and supporting the welfare of all pupils. All members of the community recognise that it is everyone's responsibility to safeguard our pupils.

All pupils are given clear guidance on what support is available to them and are encouraged to speak to a member of staff if they are concerned about theirs, or a peer's wellbeing.

The Safeguarding Team is led by our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Senior Deputy Head, Claire Losse, and a team of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads that sit across the three sections of the school. Any pupil, parent or member of the wider community who has a concern regarding the welfare of any pupil at King Edward’s School should report this to a member of the Safeguarding Team. For details view our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy here.

The Health & Wellbeing Centre

The Health & Wellbeing Centre is located by the sports hall and is open during school hours (8:40am to 4:00pm). It is staffed by two fully qualified Registered Nurses and a Healthcare Assistant. Our Lead Nurse is also a trained Senior Mental Health Lead.

The Health & Wellbeing Centre provides holistic medical care for both staff and pupils, and plays an important role in our pastoral provision, offering a listening ear and support to all pupils who visit them. The Health & Wellbeing Centre staff liaise closely with Form Tutors and other members of the pastoral teams.

"Pupils recognise when they might benefit from additional advice and support and readily request such help from staff at the health and well-being centre."

2023 ISI REPORT QUOTE