Pastoral Care in Schools:The roles and responsibilities of a tutorCarol Gair, Assistant HeadteacherZoe Bell, Head of HouseBackwell School, Bristol

By the end of the session you will have A clearer understanding of the role of the

tutor Developed skills, knowledge and

understanding of ways of working with individuals and groups

Greater understanding of the scope and range of pastoral responsibilities

What do we mean by pastoral care?

“managing their personal and academic development”

Griffiths and Sherman (1991)

So caring becomes support for learning – arguably a school’s central task, both by improving pupils’ ability to learn and by monitoring and supporting learning for tutoring.

O’Sullivan (1995)

Kottler and Kottler (1993) argue that teachers have a ‘duty of care’ to

Respond to children’s emotional needs Resolve interpersonal conflicts Identify children suffering from abuse,

neglect, emotional problems and make appropriate referrals as necessary

Function as a problem solver for those pupils in the throes of crisis.

What is the purpose of the pastoral system?

The Pastoral Curriculum

Are we producing the kind of people we want to live next door to when we are old?!What makes up the pastoral curriculum?

Provision

Student welfare Opportunities for life-long/life-

wide learning School ethos: spiritual, moral,

social, cultural Tutorial time/circle time

Outcomes

Behaviour Attitudes to learning Relationships Personal development Motivation Interdependence Skills for learning

It allows tutors to:

Get to know individuals in the widest context

Monitor their self esteem Monitor individual progress Support individual needs Create a place of safety Promote a group identity Promote the group to the school Explore the group identity Provide a positive role model Provide information at key stages Catch problems early Behave with consistency and

continuity

Teach social skills Teach study skills Optimise opportunities for

students Mediate between the student and

the school Mediate between the school and

home Develop the student’s personality Notice change Validate experiences Scaffold ambitions Tackle issues relating to the

group

What makes a good tutor?

What’s a tutor for?“someone who tells kids off and gives them

stuff”“someone who helps them learn”

The two most significant aspects of the role are:

The relationship you build with the group and individuals

The focus on students’ learning

Being a tutor

You support pupils in their learning and model behaviour

You help to make them feel special / individual and safe

You mediate between your tutees the school and often parents

You are the point of contact for parents, who will expect you to know their child and their place in the school

You will have the ‘big picture’ of the tutees’ involvement in school and out of school, you keep records

You provide opportunities to open up and reveal what matters most, sometimes in private, sometimes with the group

You have a programme of activities to organise and facilitate

Tutoring is not something done only by tutors – it is an interaction between teacher and pupils aimed at helping young people take responsibility for themselves.

Examples of some Tutoring situations.Presenting problem – Actual problem

Student is frequently late, not arriving until just before of just after the bell.

Student frequently not feeling well; stomach pains and headaches. Needs to see the nurse often

Student’s parents are splitting up. Dad is about to leave home. Mum in a state. Rows every morning and evening.

Student worried about work. Falling behind. Not understanding tasks, not able to ask for help. Feels lost and over stretched. Little support at home.

How do you deal with this?

What skills are required?

Useful Skills!..

The use of Questions

Helpful questioning

Open questions Elaboration Questions Specification Questions Questions which focus on

the feelings generated by the issue

Exploring questions

Unhelpful questioning

Closed questions Leading questions Why? questions Too probing questions

Listening Skills Attention giving – give them your full attention Active listening – a good listener:

1. Looks at you without staring2. Doesn’t interrupt3. Doesn’t fidget4. Gives you time to say what you want to say5. Is comfortable with silence and emotion6. Is aware that you may need somewhere private to talk.

Reflecting – this is a simple way of showing you have been listening.

Paraphrasing – this is reflecting the feelings and the content together.

Summarising – this is the skill of drawing the threads together.

Some tips…

Make Tutor Time

Safe

Sane

Secure

Dr.W.A RogersBehaviour Conference (2004)

Rights

The right to safety

The right to teach and learn

The right to be treated with dignity

The right to be heard

Responsibilities

Responsibilities are linked to rights Students learn that actions lead to

consequences and that they have choices about how they behave

Students cannot be absolved of their responsibilities. They need to understand the reward and sanction system that you operate; how they are supported and challenged.

Routines Establish a workable entry and exit procedure Positively greet the group each registration

and end on a positive note Establish a seating plan In the first minute establish the tutor group’s

attention Avoid talking over significant noise Deal with early disruptions during instructional

time Have a consequences framework

Dr W.A Rogers (2004) Education Consultant

Rules Keep rules simple, few in number with a

positive/negative balance When establishing rules make sure there is

ample discussion Try using inclusive language;

- “to learn well in tutor time we…”- “to show respect in tutor time we…”- “to feel safe in tutor time we…”

Always encourage and enforce rules from day one

Dr.W.A.Rogers (2004)

Assertiveness

Take a deep breath Think first for a fraction of a second Speak in the ‘I’ as this demands ownership Keep tone of voice calm, clear and certain Reframe statements

An effective tutor will really get to know their tutees. This is important because all pupils need to feel that they are of worth, of value.

Just a thought:As a tutor you are probably the one person that will see the students twice a day for 5 years.

Being an effective form tutor can be one of the most rewarding aspects of being a teacher. At the same time however, this area of our work can be problematic, demanding and exhausting. Sometimes teachers do not know where to start and indeed where to finish!

“All meaningful relationships are built on trust and respect”

K.D.Gardner

5 P’s of Pastoral work

Personal Responsibility Passing it on Policy People Place

Questions!