the role of a form tutor

7/28/2019 The Role of a Form Tutor

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The role of a Form Tutor.

Oliver Furnival.

June 2008.



Contents.

Introduction.

1) How to motivate pupils.2) Form activities.3) The form room4) Mentoring pupils5) The relationship with parents.6) PSE7) End of term / half term.

8) Assemblies9) Festival of Sport10) Focus days11) Work Experience12) Year 1113) Relationship problems between pupils14) Your Stories15) Form jokes

16) Time17) Pupils‟ views 18) Parents‟ views.



Introduction.

“You have been a tutor, friend, inspiration, a teacher and at times almost a

parent”.

The above quote comes from a parent of a pupil I used to tutor. It sums up the

role of a tutor well. A form tutor should be the most important person in a child‟s

time at school. A tutor has the chance to play an important role in the student‟ s

educational and emotional progression.

A form tutor can make a change to a pupil. A tutor can motivate a pupil, improve

their sense of self worth, make him/her feel included and important, give a pupila voice, direction and a home base. A form tutor should be the pupil‟s first port of

call to go to with any issues affecting their school, and at times, outside of school

life. A good form tutor will act as a positive role model for pupils during their

time at school. To sum up, it is my opinion that the role of a form tutor is the

most important part of a teacher‟s job.

This essay aims to highlight how to be a form tutor giving examples of activities

for form time, how to set up a form room, relationships with parents, how to

motivate pupils, mentoring pupils, PSE and how to help pupils in the differentstages of their school life. I have finished by including some comments from

pupils and their parents to highlight the importance of a good tutor.

I have used real examples from my experience as a form tutor in order to add a

narrative to the points I am making.



1. How to motivate pupils.

A) Boy and Girl of the Week.

I started the idea of Boy and Girl of the week as soon as my form started in year

7. At the end of each week, in Friday‟s form time I would announce a boy and girl

who had impressed me during the week. The criteria for Boy and Girl of the week

was very wide, examples are: good work, being a good friend, improvement in

attitude, time keeping etc, an out of school achievement the pupils had told me

about, making a contribution to form, performing in a concert — the range isendless.

The winner each week was presented with sweets, their name put on the wall

and a sent a letter home to parents. Numerous parents have told me how much

they appreciated Boy and Girl of the Week letters and loved getting positive

comments about their child. I asked pupils at the end of year 10 if they wanted to

carry on with Boy and Girl of the week and they all voted that they did. They

liked being congratulated in front of the form and liked the sweets too!! Boy andGirl of the week was an important part of our form. Pupils would regularly show

me work they were proud of from a variety of lessons in order to try to become

Boy or Girl of the week.

Initiatives such as this take time, a bit of money as a letter had to be typed,

names printed and sweets bought every week. The time and effort is more than

worthwhile though as it really motivated and inspired the form and gave a

chance to share in achievement every week they were at school.

B) End of Half Term £10 Raffle

Every half term I would collect the names of every Boy and Girl of the Week and

add names of pupils who had also achieved in a wide variety of ways. I put the

names into a pot and a pupil picked out a winner, who would receive £10 and get

a letter home. The chance of winning £10 proved very popular and encouraged

pupils to achieve success and share it with others. It is at the up to the individual

tutor or Head of House/year whether they want to give a monetary prize and

other prizes such as book tokens/books could be chosen instead.



C) End of term class vote.

At the end of every term I got the pupils to have a secret vote where they had to

choose a boy/girl of the half term and write their reason. The winner received a

seasonal prize — Christmas selection pack, Easter Egg, sweets etc.

The results of the vote told me a lot about my form. 1 boy in my form suffered

from very low self esteem. He ended up winning Boy of the Term twice in a row.

This helped him a lot and made him feel like he fitted in. When I spoke to him

about it he said how much it had helped him.

The reasons pupils gave were excellent and showed how much they appreciated

what people did for others in the form, creating the sense of community. Itwould‟ve been easy for people to vote in friendship groups but the students it

would seem were the most „popular‟ in the form rarely won.

The pupils loved hearing compliments read about them to the class and it created

an excellent end of term atmosphere.

D) Quiz winners.

The weekly Friday quiz winners were presented with sweets or chocolate as well

as having their names put on the winner ‟s board. The pupils were keen to winthe sweets but this wasn‟t their only motivation. Pupils have rival teams —

usually their friends in another side-- and this created a fun, competitive

atmosphere. The prize was given with the presentation of sweets for the Boy and

Girl of the week on Friday afternoons creating a lively, but controlled and very

enjoyable end of the week.



E)Competitions.

Form competitions are very enjoyable and create a positive atmosphere. My form

loved competing against each other in a friendly way, especially with a prize, and

pride to aim for. Here are 3 examples of competitions:

Ei) World Cup and European Championships sweep stake.

When my form was in year 7 and 9, there were major football tournaments. Each

pupil put in a pound and picked a team out of a pot. The pupil who picked the

winning team won half of the money, about 15 pounds. The pupil whose team had

the most yellow and red cards (not based on ability, to give pupils with weakteams a chance to win too) won the other half of the money.

These proved very enjoyable events. It got the whole form coming in talking

about the results and creating rivalries when their teams were playing each

other. The list of pupils and their teams was put up on the form board and the

pupils took turns in writing results. The winners received £15 each too!

Eii) Pupil based competitions.

A good idea to have fun and get pupils interacting with each other is to docompetitions where the pupils are the subject.

I got a photo of all the pupils in the form from the school SIMS network. I cut the

photos in half, horizontally and diagonally and mixed the pupils picture together.

The pupils had to work out which 2 pupils the new photo was made up of. The

proved a really fun event and created some really interesting pictures! The first

time I did this was during an afternoon registration in the summer and I got

permission to go outside onto the courts.

The pupils enjoyed working out who was who and it was good to see them

interacting with each other. Events like this create good memories for the form

and the tutor and are times I look back on with satisfaction. The pupils‟ pictures

ended going up on the form wall.

Eiii) Random competitions

As a regular Boot Sale visitor I often picked up revision guides cheaply. I used to

create a competition with the guide on offer as the prize. Pupils were surprisingly

motivated to win a study book!

On non uniform days, I use to offer prizes such a sweets to pupils who would



wear my Tottenham tops! Pupils did this, including an Arsenal fan!! This goes to

show the power of sweets!

F) Help with studies when necessary.

There may be times when you have your own resources that can help pupils. I

have a video of 3 of the GCSE English texts and lent these out to pupils when

they were studying them.

G) Encourage them to be prefects / mentors.

I advised my pupils on the benefits of being prefects and mentors, guiding them

on how to write their letters of application.



2. Form Activities

A) Quiz

I held a weekly quiz on Friday afternoons which proved very popular with the

form and were an excellent way of finishing off the week. I and my students

looked forward to the Friday quiz which always created an excellent atmosphere

in the form room. The winners got a bar of chocolate and their names in the wall.

The team who won the most quizzes during a term received an end of term prize.

Quizzes can be done in two ways. Pupils can be invited to write the questions

themselves with the tutor reading them out and the teams swopping answers atthe end. Alternatively the tutor can write the questions, which was the more

regular format in my form. Writing a quiz could take between 15 and 45 minutes

a week (depending on the ease of finding news stories) but was well worth the

effort.

Popular questions are on the weekly news, music stories, local knowledge,

Lakeside and questions about incidents that had occurred in form time that

week. It is good to add humorous questions too, as this helps create a good

atmosphere. As well as spoken questions the quizzes can be music based, withpupils guessing the name of songs played through the computer for example.

The end of week quiz was a very enjoyable part of the week. If the questions are

pitched right the tutor and pupils can create an excellent atmosphere where

teams are competitive and everyone enjoys themselves. Behaviour was always

excellent. Although the pupils got excited at times the relationship I built up with

the pupils resulted in them responding quickly when quiet was asked for Every

so often sweets can be given to all pupils when participating in the quiz, which

added to the good atmosphere.



B) Hot Topics

“Hot Topics” is a weekly topical discussion. It proved to be one of the most

popular activities in form time. It can be on any subject. Allow pupils to have an

input on what they would like to discuss. It is a good idea to let pupils lead the

discussion, this works well in pairs.

I used a power point to introduce a topic, set as a question to answer or a

statement to respond to.

The topic could be a response to an item in the news, a topic studied in PSE or a

topic of general interest. The topics work well when there are numerous ones in a

20 minute session. My form enjoyed light hearted topics mixed in with moreserious ones. Giving quieter pupils a chance to lead the discussion is an excellent

idea, (as long as they want to). Many pupils in my form said that Hot Topic built

up their confidence when speaking in front of peers. Pupils appreciated being

able to air their views on issues relevant to them. Any issue, including school

rules / policies can be incorporated into Hot Topics.

C) Music lyrics.

Once a week I, or a pupil in my form, chose a song to listen to and we thenresponded to the lyrics. The pupils enjoyed discussing the lyrics and it helped

with their literacy skills and appreciation of poetry. Songs could be randomly

chosen or pupils could be set a task of finding lyrics related to a topic in the news

or an issue such a love, crime, leaving home etc. The lyrics work well when put

on the board and photocopied and given to the pupils to read while the song is

playing. The tutor can set questions for pupils to answer, which can be knowledge

based through to analytical. Pupils enjoyed playing their songs and looking at

them through a different angle. I often played my form songs that included a

phrase that I wanted to use to explain a point I was trying to get across to them.

Music lyrics worked well as a way of talking through problems/issues facing

problems.



D) Reading

Getting pupils to read as a form can be successful if done the right way. Reading

doesn‟t, in my experience, work very well if pupils have to rely on books from a

book box if they don‟t have any interest in them. Reading works better if pupils

are allowed to bring in books from home. An important part of reading is

allowing pupils the chance to discuss what they are reading. Pupils can, through

advance planning, present a speech on the book they are reading, focusing on a

moral / issue the book has raised. I believe pupils should be allowed to read

comics and magazines too. Reading should be fun and inspiring for pupils and

they therefore shouldn‟t be held back in their choice of material. I often hadpupils discussing stories from magazines that inspired interesting debates in

class.

E News of the day

Read newspapers and listen to the news! Depending on the news of the day a

tutorial session can be driven by what is going on in the world. Reading local

newspapers in a good idea as it is full of stories that have a direct effect on the

lives of the pupils. Newspapers can provoke excellent discussion points. Thesesessions can be held on a formal or informal basis.

F) You Tube

After the introduction of interactive whiteboard I incorporated a day of watching

You Tube into the timetable. I used it as a chance to allow pupils an afternoon a

week to relax and watch comedy scenes. Pupils had the chance to request a scene

and I often included my own ones. Although it was a relaxed session pupils

always watched as a form — this is very important as the session mustn‟t be run

where pupils are allowed to watch if they like or talk to peers. It is important

that pupils are engaged in activities as a form. It gave quieter pupils another

chance to get involved and pupils were invited to talk about why they like the

comedy programme. As a form we built up favourite programmes, such as Alan

Partridge and Catherine Tate. These characters were incorporated into standing

jokes within the form and could be brought up at different times.

As well as comedy on YouTube it could also be used for more serious matters. You

Tube has many videos on issues relating to life in Britain and the lives of

students. Videos on You Tube, such as news clippings are an excellent way of



starting a debate.

G) Watching Videos / DVDs

Watching videos and DVDs, similar to You Tube can be an excellent way for

pupils to enjoy watching a comedy or a more serious matter. I often used clips

from Television or film as a way into a debate. Only Fools and Horses, for

example can be used as an introduction into family relationships. Pupils were

often set a task of looking for a point of discussion that can be relayed through a

video or a DVD.

H) General talk (As a whole form).

It could be enough to simply talk to the form. This could be on a wide range of

issues and was often determined by the news I, or they had heard that morning.Keeping up to date with pupils‟ outside of school life was a good way to make

pupils feel important. A pupil in my form, for example was chosen for the

Romford Ice Skating team and would regularly keep us updated. Pupil‟s hobbies

and activated over the weekend were good points of conversation for the 5

minutes form time in the morning.



3. The Form Room.The form room is a very important place for a student. The layout of the room

should give your pupils a sense of ownership and a „home‟ within the school. The

form room should be decorated with pupil‟s work and evidence of their

achievements. My form became very protective of their room and were genuinely

angered if other pupils left a mess in it. Our form room showed a lot about the

character of our form. The following are ways in which I made my room give my

form a sense of belonging.

A) Achievement board.

I created a board and attached the pupil‟s achievements to it. I photocopied Jack

Petchy award certificates, subject award certificates, sport certificates Work

Experience certificates and any achievements the pupils received in and out of

school. Every pupil in the form had at least 1 certificate on the board. The

certificates were copied in bright colours making a bold board at the front of the

room which pupils often read.

B) Positive comment board

I got my form to write positive comments about others in the form. I then added

some comments of my own. I typed up and printed the comments, cutting them

out and putting them on the back of colorful paper. The length of the poster was

almost the length of one of the form walls! It was often read by other pupils, staff

and parents during review days. Parents often said their child had mentioned the

poster to them. The poster included the pupil‟s name and something positive

about them. It looked brilliant and gave every pupil a boost to have positive

comments about them on their form wall.

C) Boy and Girl of the Week / Quiz Winners poster.

The names of the boy and girl of the week and quiz winners were put on the wall

in dominant colours. This raises the pupil‟s sense of achievement.



D) Original merit board.

As the form grew older I wanted to create a merit board that would help motivate

them. I got 2 pupils in the form to write each student‟s name in bubble writing.

As each pupil gained merits they were allowed to colour a strip of their name in,

allowing them to create a collage in the shape of their name. Their names were

spread around the form board.

E) Form characters board.

As the form goes on, events occur, mascot can be invented and stories happen

between you and your form. It is a good idea, where possible to put these in awall display as it helps give a sense of belonging in the form. Here are a few

examples.

I met Paul Allen, the old Tottenham player. He signed a picture stating “

To 8L, work hard and you will achieve your goals”. The picture stayed on

my wall until my form left.

It became a standing joke that I loved Belle, from Disney‟s Beauty and the

Beast. My daughter coloured a picture and it went on the form wall.

My form loved watching Alan Partridge so I bought an Alan Partridgeposter and he went on the form wall.

A pupil painted a large chicken as part of year 9 Focus Days. It became a

form mascot and was on the wall until the form left. A different pupil said

she loved Ian Beale as a joke, so I put a picture of him on the chicken,

much to the form‟s amusement.

At the end of year 9, Imogen a character in Big Brother created a “Hot

Topics” jingle as part of the show. This jingle was used to introduce our

Hot Topics every week. A picture of Imogen was put up on the form board.

F) Form promise.

On the form board was the form promise. The form created statements, setting

goals for the year. Each member of the form signed the promise and it was

referred to as the year progressed.



G) Form photos.

Pupils love having photos of themselves on the form walls. It is good to get form

photos, taken on non uniform day for example. I also had photos from school

trips. Pupils were encouraged to bring in their own photos too — some brought

photos of when they were young. This proved very popular with pupils who would

often peruse and talk about the photos during break and lunch time.

I also chose to put photos of my children on the wall. I found that all pupils took a

positive interest in my children and appreciated the fact that I had included

them in the photos.

H) Pupil‟s work.

Pupils enjoy seeing their work on the wall, giving them a sense of pride in their

achievement. I put my form‟s year 7 Focus Day work on Parliament up on the

wall and it stayed there until they left in year 11. PSE work can be put up on the

wall.

It is a good idea to encourage non curriculum work, perhaps through competition,

to be put on the form wall- I got my form to research inspirational quotes and put

them up on my wall. I also used my form to create key words in Citizenship. Ithelped me, as many of them were far more creative than me.

I) A place to leave bags and other equipment.

To raise the pupil‟s sense of responsibility and ownership I allowed my form to

leave bags, coats and other equipment in the form. In order to do this, boundaries

must be set. It must be made clear that it is the pupils‟ responsibility to keep the

room clean and pupils must be aware of the appropriate time and manner when

they can collect their equipment. Some pupils may try to take advantage of the

situation. After an occasion when a couple of pupils burst into the form room

while I was teaching without knocking, I spoke to the form about it. This resulted

in pupils always knocking and asking politely if they can collect their belongings.



J) An open form room at lunch and break.

In order to help my form settle in at the start of year 7 I allowed them to spend

break and lunch in my room if they wanted. This allowed them to have a „safe

house‟, which they appreciated as a new school can seem large. Quite a lot of my

form used the room from the beginning of year 7 until they left at the end of year

11. Pupil‟s used the room as a place to talk, catch up on homework, eat lunch and

hang out with their friends. I made the choice to allow my room to be used in this

way and it should be up to the individual tutor whether he/she wants to give

pupils access to the room at all times. I certainly feel it helped my form in their

early days and was convenient for them as they went through school as a placewhere they could meet up. The form tutor must set rules, such as noise levels and

make sure the pupils are respecting the room regarding litter. As the years went

on, pupils who were friends of students in my form used to visit the form room

too. There were times when the room wasn‟t left in a perfect state. I always found

the pupils in my room to be very loyal regarding the state of the room, as we

created an atmosphere where they felt it was their room. When I complained

about the state of the room my form was very quick to pull their friends into line.



4. Mentoring pupilsA) An important role of a form tutor is being a mentor. There may be times when

you are the only person a pupil can feel they can turn to and the advice and

guidance you give can be invaluable to the pupil.

When mentoring a pupil there are important rules.

Build up a sense of trust with the pupil. This will take time. If a pupil sees

you as someone he/she can turn to if necessary then it will give them

confidence and reassurance.

Don‟t push the pupil. If you do you may be seen as being interfering andthe pupil may feel attacked and not want to talk. Wait for the pupil to

come to you unless you have genuine concerns for his/her safety. If you see

a pupil is down then offer yourself as someone to talk to and allow them to

make the decision. It can help the pupil just to know you‟re there if they

need you.

Follow the school guidance at all times. If the pupil is telling you

something you can‟t keep a secret, explain this to the pupil and the

reasons for it. Work it though the situation so that the pupil feels includedin every decision you have to make.

Listen to the pupil and allow the them time to talk, this can be invaluable

and there will be times when this is all the pupil needs.

Don‟t judge. There may be times when a pupil offers a solution to a

problem that you disagree with. If you simply tell them they are wrong

and tell them to do it your way then they will lose confidence to talk to

you and will, at times, ignore your orders. It is advisable to talk through

each scenario and the effects of every possible action the pupil can take.

As far as you feel possible, try to put yourself in the shoes of the pupil.

They may be going through things that you did as a teenager. Pupils may

see things from a different perspective and understanding their thinking

will help you when trying to solve the issue.

Liaise with the appropriate staff when necessary. Heads of year and the

Child Protection Officer have proved a great help to me during my time as

a form tutor. Their experience coupled with the fact they can give a

different opinion, one step back, has proved important.



I have, as a form tutor mentored the pupils on a number of issues. Issues include

friendship issues, problem with a subject, poor behaviour, parents splitting up

and a death in the family. I always created an atmosphere where I welcomed

pupils to share any problem that they wished to. This resulted in some pupils

regularly talking though their concerns, both girls and boys. This can be very

time consuming, taking up breaks, lunches and time after school, but the reward

of helping a pupil makes it more than worthwhile.

As stated above, the tutor should not press pupils to talk as this may lead to

pupils feeling under attack and stop the communication. There were times whenI took the lead role in mentoring. When a teacher told me about a pupil‟s poor

behaviour or lack of work I made sure I checked in with the pupil, giving the

option to talk and try and find a solution.

I took on the role of mentoring 4 Gifted and Talented pupils in my form. This

gave me a valuable insight into their experiences at school and the pressures

they faced in completing their work. 1 pupil I mentored was having trouble

finishing work on time due to sporting requirements-she represented the school,her club and the county at netball. I liaised with her teachers and the PE

department and worked closely with the pupil and her parents in creating a

manageable timetable of homework, coursework and revision which fitted around

her sport. The timetable was sent to her teachers who appreciated knowing her

sporting responsibilities. This is a good example of the tutor knowing their pupils

well and helping staff understand each pupil‟s personal circumstances.



One pupil in my form was self harming. This came to my attention from her

mother while the pupil was in year 7. I spent a lot of time with the pupil listening

and advising her when she was down and felt like harming. I contacted self harm

charities who sent information which I shared with her mother. As the girl went

through school there were times when she found the process too much. I worked

through a variety of issues with her encouraging her to come to school, go to her

lessons and how to face up to friendship issues. There were numerous occasions

when the pupil was down and needed someone to talk to and in my role as her

tutor I was able to discuss these issues, keeping the Head of Year informed. She

found GCSE History hard and became very worried by it. I took on the role of herHistory tutor, often working with her at lunch times and after school — The help

of the Head of History was beneficial in this arrangement.

Her mother felt she needed counseling, but didn‟t want her to see a school

counselor so I wrote two letters to her GP, explaining her issues and how they

were affecting her private and school life, these letters helped her get a councilor.

I always kept the Child protection Officer involved in the process.

I spoke to her mother on a regular basis, keeping each other up to date. It was a

long and at time tough process but the way the pupil turned out as a happy,positive, young adult made it worthwhile



B) The following are examples of pupils entrusting a form tutor with information

that the tutor can‟t keep secret. I believe that the form tutor must look at the

whole picture and consider the pupil‟s safety and the law of the country. I had to

put my relationship with the pupils on the line in fulfilling my duties but my

responsibilities as a form tutor are for the welfare of the child, even if the child

can‟t see it at the time. It is very important in these situations to keep the pupil

fully informed with your actions and the reasons for them. My relationship was

stronger with the pupils after these events and I believe that if I had kept their

stories secret it would be morally wrong, and as the pupils grow older they would

understand the tutor acted incorrectly.

I had built up a very good relationship with a pupil in my form, mentoring

her on a number of issues such as friendship issues, behaviour problems

in school and had worked hard to keep her on track with her studies.

When she was 14 told me she was receiving texts from a 21 year old male.

One of these texts enquired whether she was a virgin. The pupil was

flattered by the texts and began was meeting this man, often creeping out

of her house at night. The pupil insisted that I couldn‟t tell her parents, asshe‟d be grounded. I believe that a form tutor must act in the pupil‟s best

interests, even if it‟s the hardest thing to do. I had built up a lot of trust

with this pupil and didn‟t want to break it but had to consider my

professional responsibilities. If I had done nothing I wouldn‟t be protecting

the pupil. I spoke to the Child Protection officer and agreed to tell the

pupil‟s parents. I spoke to the mother and explained the story. I made sure

I told the pupil that I would be ringing her mother and took a lot of time

explaining why I had to. I believe it is important in these situations to

explain why you are making choices that affect the pupil. The pupil took

on board I was acting in her interests and for her safety but was still very

angry that I called home. It took a while for the trust to build again, but it

did recover and I dealt with a number of issues later on in the pupil‟s time

at school.



On 2 occasions girls in my form told me that they were having underage

sex. I had previously made it clear to my form that on issues such as

underage sex I wasn‟t allowed to keep it a secret. It was very important to

enquire after the pupil‟s wellbeing and discuss the worries they were

having. Again though, I had to make it clear that due to the fact they were

underage I had to inform the school. Both of the girls didn‟t want this to

happen. I spent a lot of time talking through the issues, including their

parent‟s reaction— which was what both girls were most scared of. The

girls were anxious and as a tutor I spent a lot of time assuring them that

their parents, despite initial anger would be able to help them with anyworries, such as health. After a lot of mentoring I managed to get the girls

to speak to their mothers. The help of the Child Protection Officer was

invaluable here, as her knowledge of the law and the emotions the pupils

were going through helped me a lot.

C) Show a pupil the form cares about them.

During a pupil‟s 5 years at school many things can happen to them. It is an

important role of the tutor to show the pupil that the rest of the form is behindthem.

a) A pupil in my form was picked to play netball at a major competition. I

bought a card and got the form to sign messages in it. The day before the

tournament one of her friends gave her a good luck speech and we

presented her with the card.

b) A pupil in my form‟s house burnt down when she was in year 7. Again I

bought a card and got her a CD (from the advice of her friends). We

presented her with the gifts as a form.

Both of these examples too the minimum time to arrange but were much

appreciated by the recipients. The first girl cried with happiness in front of the

form and the girl in the second example told me just before she left school that

she has still got the card we presented to her.



D) Get to know your pupils----ALL of them

An important part of being a form tutor is getting to know your pupils.

Some pupils are outgoing and will gladly tell you their news, while others will

need you to take the lead role. It is important to remember that EVERY pupil

has an outside of school life and some of them will amaze you of their hobbies and

achievements if you take the time to ask.

The day before I became a tutor for the first time the head of Year 7 told me that

I‟d very quickly be aware of the loud pupils and the naughty pupils and these will

be the ones who will take up most of my time. He went on to say that a form

tutor must take an interest in the quiet pupils-- The ones who work hard, behavewell but are in danger of slipping under the radar or they can be forgotten. I

made it one of my goals to give time to the quieter pupils in the form and making

sure they weren‟t forgotten. Activities such as Hot Topics were good ways of

getting pupils to come out of themselves. One of my proudest achievements as a

form tutor is seeing how a core of about 6 pupils in my form grew in confidence as

the years progressed. The pupils really appreciate knowing that the tutor is

taking an interest in them. Pupils may be quiet in the school environment but

this doesn‟t mean they are not involved in interesting things outside of school.One girl once casually mentioned that she was into mountaineering! I used this

information to ask her about it at varying intervals and it ended up with her

talking to the form about the experiences she had had. Showing an interest in

pupil‟s hobbies gives them the confidence to come out of themselves in school.



E) Liaise between your pupil and other teachers.

A form tutor can be a good bridge between a pupil and a member of staff. The fact

that you see the pupils every day should create a positive relationship with the

pupil. This relationship can be put into use if a pupil is having difficulties within

a subject or is misbehaving with a teacher.

There were numerous times in my time as a form tutor when I was called upon

by a member of staff to speak to one of my pupils about an issue. I often arranged

a meeting with the member of staff and the pupil. This can work on a number of

levels. It shows the pupil that they can‟t get away with things without it coming

back to them (the tutor will hopefully have a good relationship with the pupil‟sparents too). This situation also stops misunderstandings and stops the pupil

being able to play one teacher off with another. In Meetings like this pupils must

be spoken to in an adult manner, letting them have their say. It is important not

to make the child feel intimated and create an “us and them” scenario.

A pupil in my form was playing up with a cover supervisor and regularly getting

detentions. I met both of them and allowed them both to have their say on the

situation. I then, in front of the cover supervisor reminded the pupil of my

expectations for her and the school rules. Although not perfect afterwards, therelationship did improve and detentions stopped. I was asked to deal with poor

behaviour from pupils in my form on many occasions. This can work well but it is

important to understand that it is up to the individual department to sort out

behavioral issues and punishments such as detentions.

I worked closely with one head of department regarding two boys in my form who

were not pulling their weight with their GCSE work. I spoke to the teacher and

the pupils regularly, alone and together and kept parents informed at all times. I

visited then during their detentions and together with the teacher tried to

motivate them both. This was done in a friendly way, letting the boys know we

cared enough to be on their backs at all times. When they left school both of these

pupils mentioned this scenario and were appreciative of the effort I and the

subject teacher had made in order to get their work completed on time.

Situations such as the two above are time consuming but through my experience

pupils respond positively when a form tutor gets involved with other teachers if it

is dealt with in a positive way.



F) Difficult pupils.

Most forms will have difficult pupils. It is important for the form tutor to provide

a strong role model straight away. The form tutor must be seen as someone who

will uphold school rules but also take time to listen to and talk through reasons

for poor behaviour. A pupil will show poor behaviour for a wide variety of reasons.

Through communication with the pupil and parents the tutor will often have an

insight into possible reasons for this. A form tutor can be an important link

between the difficult pupil and the Head of year/house. The tutor can take

advantage of his her relationship with the pupil as a way of putting the teacher‟s

/ school‟s opinion across in a way that the pupil may be less likely to react

against. It is very important for the tutor to be consistent with the school‟s rules. A tutor who lets poor behaviour go may gain popularity in the short term but

pupils can be quick to take advantage of this and respect will be lost over the

long term. A good form tutor will see the situation from the view of the pupil

while reminding them of the acceptable way to behave. It is important to work

closely with colleagues and parents at all times. If the difficult pupil sees the

tutor and parent working closely together they are less able to manipulate the

situation.

It can often be the case that difficult pupils respond well during form time. Frommy experience difficult pupils appreciate the time a form tutor gives them.

Informal chats before form time and an interest shown in their hobbies help a lot.

It is good to form some common ground with the pupil. If a pupil feels that he/she

has a place and a person in the school where he/she feels comfortable and

respected then he/she will respond better when the form tutor has to lay down

school rules.

There may be times when the pupil is rude to the tutor. This must be dealt with

immediately. The tutor must be seen to punish the pupil accordingly in order to

maintain the respect in the relationship.

During my time as a tutor I dealt with a number of difficult pupils. I found that

these pupils appreciated me taking an interest in their lives. A simple “How‟s it

going”? in the morning can be enough for the pupil to understand that someone

cares about them in a place where they often find themselves in confrontation

with adults and/or peers. I also found it beneficial to let the pupil have their

“rant” when necessary. It is important to let the pupil know that you are there to

listen.



One pupil in my form was a notorious boy within the year group. His behaviour

was poor, reasons included his situation at home and frustration at being weak

academically. I tried hard to build up a firm but fair relationship with him from

day one. I helped him copy his timetable into his diary and struck up a

relationship. I made a point of saying hello in the corridors and the quad/canteen

during my duty times. Being a visible figure in the corridor is beneficial as it

gives the impression you know what‟s going on in the school day. I allowed this

pupil to bring in football magazines, and even brought mine in for him to read

during form time. I even allowed him to put a West Ham mini kit on the wall

next to my Tottenham one. I used our interest in football as the basis of dailyconversations. These examples of letting the pupil feel someone was looking out

for him help us to build up a positive relationship with this pupil, which came in

useful as he got involved in problems throughout the school.

A strong tutor won‟t guarantee a reformed pupil but it is beneficial for all pupils

to have a strong role model who will enforce school rules but at the same time

talk through the issues in the pupil‟s school career.

Upholding school rules. A tutor should be firm and fair when dealing with pupils. One shouldn‟t

undermine school rules and policies even if one doesn‟t agree with them. A tutor

should continually remind pupils of the school rules, including uniform. Talking

through the rules and discuss the reasons for them helps pupils understand why

they are there and can help diffuse situations. If a pupil is owed a detention it is

imperative that the tutor follows it through at all times. This will help gain the

respect of the form and the standard of behaviour will remain high. If a pupil is

misbehaving in other lesson the tutor should make sure he or she is kept

informed as much as necessary.



5. Relationship with parents. A good relationship with parents is very important.. Parents can be a crucial ally.

I made a point of making a positive relationship with the parents of my form and

this paid great dividends as the years progressed. It is vital to make an early

relationship with parents. A good relationship builds up trust and can help when

dealing with any sensitive issues. I have found that parents appreciate having

people to talk to in school about their child and the form tutor can provide an

important link between parents and different parts of the school.

Communication with parents can be on a variety of issues such as: Pupil‟s achievements.

Progress.

Behaviour problems

Time off including truancy.

Pupil‟s relationship problems.

Problems at home.

Options choices

GCSE issues.

Problems in lessons.

A) Phoning parents.

Taking time to phone parents when necessary is important. Parents appreciate

being kept in touch with their child‟s progress and any issues of concern. During

my time as a tutor I spent a lot of time on the phone with parents on a variety of

issues. I dealt with 3 parents on a regular basis and by the time their children

left school I had built up an important relationship with the parents which

resulted in mutual trust and made it a lot easier dealing with the 3 pupils.

Parents appreciate it when they see that the form tutor has put himself / herself

out.

Once I forgot to give a letter out to parents explaining that the school canteen

will be closed the following day. I spent a good hour looking up parents phone

numbers and rang them all to explain the situation regarding food the next day.

Although it was my mistake the parents appreciated being told and some

brought it up on occasions at later dates.

Phoning home can take a lot of time as parents often have more than one issue to



raise. It is important to keep a log of conversations with parents and keep the

Head of year / house fully informed when necessary.

B) Pupil absences

It is important to chase up pupil absences. Know your pupils and keep a track of

when they are absent. Look for any patterns. Speaking to parents about absence

is very important, it can highlight a number of different issues from truancy to

pupil worries. Parents appreciate the communication and can use the tutor to

make a start in trying to solve any problems. If a pupil has a long term illness

parents appreciate a call to see how their child is recovering and to set up/check

on any work needed to be sent home.

C) Communicating with parents on positive issues.Parents like hearing positive things about their children. I wrote a letter to

parents every time their child was chosen as boy and girl of the week. I found out

that parents used to keep these letters. 1 boy in my form said that when he left

school he was worried that his record of achievement folder was thin. His Mum

then presented him with a folder of all the positive letters I had sent home over

the 5 years which he duly added to his achievement folder. During my time as a

tutor parents regularly thanked me for sending positive letters home and one

even put them up on the kitchen wall!Sending positive letters home and mentioning achievement on the phone or at

parent‟s evening helps to build up trust and can result in parents being more

willing to listen to issues of a less positive nature.

D) Parent‟s evenings.

As a form tutor I made a point of seeing the parents as often as possible at

parent‟s evenings, even if I don‟t teach them an academic subject. Even if, due to

a full schedule, it is impossible to have a meeting with every parent it helps to

build up a relationship by having an informal chat and giving the briefest of

reports. This is appreciated by parents and lets then know that you are looking

out for their child. It is often reported back to the pupil, who similarly

appreciates the attention given to their schooling / issues.



E) Meeting parents.

There may be times when a pupil‟s situation may make it necessary to meet

parents. Meeting parents is very important. I would recommend meeting parents

after school as there is less pressure on time. As a form tutor there were many

times when I asked parents in for meetings as opposed to talking on the phone.

Meeting parents gives the option of having the pupil present (for all or part of the

meeting). It can be easier setting up action plans with parents and pupil involved

and stops the suspicions the pupil can have of the tutor and parent speaking

behind their back. Meeting parents is a very good way of clarifying situations andstops confusion that can arise thorough a pupil‟s interpretation of what has been

said / action taken by the school. I have found meeting parents an excellent

opportunity to lay the bed any misunderstandings on issues. A pupil‟s attitude

can change beyond recognition in front of their parents and the more

manipulative ones find it hard to play the school and parents off against each

other when they are talking in the same room. Meeting parents can benefits

parents. It can help parents if a form tutor tactfully supports them on issues that

are a problem for the parents at home and affect school life such as punctuality



6. PSE.

PSE is a very important part of the pupil‟s timetable. PSE lessons should be well

thought out, relevant to students‟ lives and pupil centered.

I always enjoyed teaching PSE to my form. PSE must be respected by students

form the beginning. It must not, at any time be seen as a waste of an hour by

students where they can chat to mates and catch up on gossip. PSE must be

interactive and at times, student led. It must not be a lesson where pupils are

working from the book and filling in handouts.

PSE must be given the same respect and status of every other lesson in thetimetable to work. If pupils are late they must be challenged as they would at

any other time, a register should be done, even if only on paper at the start of the

lesson to get pupils into the correct frame of mind. The level of formality can be

raised and lowered but this must be done under the control of the tutor at all

times. For example, every so often I would bring sweets / drink into PSE but such

was my relationship with the form that this was done in a working environment.

PSE covers important issues in the pupils‟ lives as they go through teenage years

such as relationships, drugs, sex, assertiveness and the law. Tutors must taketime to bring the issues to life from the textbook. Through the nature of the

subject pupils will come to the classroom with experience, views and knowledge.

It is up to the form tutor to exploit these and get the pupils interacting in the

relevant topics.

I invited pupils in my form to take lessons related to a PSE topic and they

responded well, using it as a chance to have their say on what affects them. It is

a good idea to look through the syllabus and give pupils the choice on what they

would like to study, giving them a sense of empowerment and ensuring that they

will be interested in the topic. There is no point teaching a PSE topic that is

irrelevant to the students in the form.

Where possible PSE should be interactive, including group activities. It is an

ideal chance for pupils in the form to work with others that they wouldn‟t usually

work with — building up a better atmosphere in the form. PSE should not consist

of long periods of pupils writing in books or filling in handouts but should rather

concentrate on the way pupils respond to situations that the may face/ have faced

in their life.



During the last few months of year 11 I got my form to create a revision booklet

in PSE where each pair creates work on a specific subject. I collated the work and

photocopied it for each pupil. PSE was a good time to hold revision quizzes — each

pupil was given questions to write for homework and we had a class quiz on

them. It is a good idea to let each questioner explain how they go the answer,

thus ensuring every pupil understands the revision point and giving the

questioner the chance to explain their point, which will help them remember it.



7. End of term / End of half termIt is good to end terms and half terms on a positive note. Bringing in food and

drinks for the last hour together works really well and was always an enjoyable

experience. I used to have end of term achievement awards. I got the class to vote

for a boy and girl of the term. When the winner was announced I would read out

the reasons why people had received the nominations from their peers. The last

hour with the form before a holiday is a good time for the tutor to speak about

what pupils had achieved and highlight successes. An end of tem quiz is a fun

last activity.

8. AssembliesFrom the start, a tutor must make his/her expectations about behaviour in

assemblies very clear. As a tutor I made sure my form were well dressed and well

behaved during assemblies. It is very important to be visible during assemblies,

letting your pupils know you will act quickly on any incident. A pupil joined my

form in year 10, on one of his first times in assembly he decided he would laughat the guest speaker. I quickly pulled him away from his peers and made him

stand with me. The next day in form I brought the issue up, leaving him in no

uncertain terms that he had to fall in line with my and his peer‟s expectations.

Throughout their time at school, your form will be asked to deliver assemblies.

This should be encouraged by the tutor and where and when necessary the tutor

should join in. I help direct my form‟s assemblies, giving them time to practice

during form, PSE and lunch. In year 8 we had a Christmas concert and I dressed

up as Father Christmas and joined in the assembly —at the form‟s request. The

pupils enjoy the tutor getting involved and showing an interest.



9. Festivals of sport.

Festivals of sport are one of the best times spent with the form. The form

appreciate it if the tutor can get around and see all of them in action at least

once. I was a very keen participant of sports days…too keen according to the PE

department!! Being vocal and inspiring the pupils to get them working in a team

is what the day is all about. In year 7 my form developed a rivalry with another

form (and between me and their tutor!) in the year group, this provided a lot of

laughs and lasted throughout their time at school. As a tutor I enjoyed

supporting my form and watching them achieve. I always found sports days to bevery positive affairs where even the less talented pupils got involved and worked

together. Spurring pupils on and congratulating them on successes and glorious

failures means a lot to the pupils. I used examples of my pupils working together

on sports days in talks with them about team work at later dates.

10. Focus days

When the form is in years 7-9 Focus days are excellent opportunities to work

with them and spend time with them. A form tutor must be enthusiastic about

focus days as this will rub off on the form. Add to the focus days — In year 7 and 9

I created a form only competition as an extra with prizes given. A form tutor

should assert his/her personality into focus days. The 3 days can be an excellent

chance to build relationships and work with your pupils in situations you

wouldn‟t normally find yourself in, getting stuck in with the form-- In year 9

focus days I enjoyed creating healthy food options with my form, something new

to me and it turned out to be an enjoyable experience. The work my form created

during focus days was excellent. I kept their year 7 presentations on Parliament

on the form wall until they left school.

The key to positive and successful focus days is joining in with the form. Allowing

the form to bring in music to be played to the class, creating competitions and

interacting with the form on a less formal note can make the 3 days an enjoyable

experience.



11.Work experience.

Some pupils will need a lot of guidance for their choice of work experience. The

school has got good resources and outside speakers to help the students. The job

of the tutor is to guide students into choosing a placement that is of interest to

them. It doesn‟t matter if pupils aren‟t sure of the career they want and their

choice of work experience may have nothing to do with their final choices in

education. The tutor must try to make sure the pupils take advantage of the

option given to them to choose their own placement.

It is important to see as many pupils in your form as possible. Some pupils arenervous about work experience and the form tutor‟s visit can provide much

needed assurance. Other pupils are keen to show off the success they are having.

I managed to see 21 of my pupils during the two weeks. While this may seem an

excessive amount I was lucky in that a few were working in pairs. One trip to

Liberty in Romford allowed me to see 10 pupils, 7 worked in Hornchurch and 4 in

Rainham. With careful planning these can be done in the minimum of time.

Pupils appreciate a teacher taking the time to look in on them. It is a good

experience to see your pupils in the world of work too.



12. Year 11

Year 11 comes with additional pressure of GCSE exams. Here are a few ways a

form tutor can help his/her form during year 11.

Get the form to work together and create a revision guide. Collate the

information, photocopy it and give it to the pupils.

Go through revision websites with the form in PM form time.

Create a document on revision tips. This can easily be done through

website on the internet. Find the most relevant information and put it

together for the pupils.

Create resources on beating exam stress. There is a lot of information onthis on the internet and it can be collated with the work on revision tips.

Hold GCSE revision quizzes for pupils in PSE lessons / form time. Get the

pupils to create the questions and explain the answers.

As pupils start to think about jobs create a CV and give sentence starters

to help pupils fill it in according to their experiences.

Allow pupils to use your room as a quiet place for revision during your

free periods when they are on study leave.

Be there to talk to and advise pupils through any worries.

Keep an eye on stressed pupils.

Arrange to meet pupils individually or in small groups at lunch or break

to see how they are progressing and offer any help.

Help pupils to create a revision timetable — Buy them cheap calendars if

necessary!

Create a support network. This includes you, the pupil, parents and

teachers. Teach the pupil to him/herself, for example getting them to ask

for past papers form subject teachers.

3 pupils in particular were finding it hard to deal with their outside

commitments and the pressure of school. I had many mentoring sessions

with them as a group working out when the could revise, how to revise

and how to work out a suitable plan of action.

Help with coursework deadlines, get pupils on top of their coursework.



13. Relationship problems between pupils in the form

This occurred 100‟s of times over the years! The first piece of advice is don‟t push

in and wait to be asked for advice. It is beneficial to the pupils if they can sort the

issue out on their own. A tutor should step in if there is any suspicion of bullying.

When dealing with relationship problems the tutor must deal with it sensitively.

The tutor will often hear derogative remarks about other pupils. The tutor must

be careful with what he/she says and must remain open minded, listening to both

sides of the story. I learnt over the 5 years that I was unable to solve every

disagreement I was notified of, there were times when the pupils agreed to becivil to each other and keep out of each other‟s way. The form tutor mustn‟t be

seen to take sides but should be there to diffuse situations when necessary. The

tutor should notify the head of Year / House and parents when necessary. The

tutor should deal with all situations, no matter how trivial they seem, delicately

and should remind the pupils of the school rules if they are being challenged. It is

good to explain to each pupil the action you are going to put in place and why. It

is advisable to speak to a pupil with a friend present in order to stop any

misunderstandings and “he said / she said” situations occurring.



14. Your Stories.

The amount of personal information the tutor wants to relay to their form is up

to the individual. Some tutors may be at ease talking about their personal life

while others will not. Tutors must be careful with what they tell pupils. Any

information given soon becomes common knowledge as pupils (like adults!) have

a tendency to talk.

I used my experience in life as examples to get messages across in lessons such

as PSE. Pupils are naturally inquisitive and this can help them when dealing

with real life examples, as it helps bring the points you are trying to make to life.I made the choice to talk to my form about certain aspects of my private life such

as my children. My form loved regular updates on my children and it helped

create a good relationship with the form. This resulted in pupils in my form

looking after my pupils during school concerts and giving them cards and

presents. When my form was in year 10, 2 pupils wanted to take my daughter

shopping. This took a lot of planning including gaining school and parental

consent.

Giving your form snippets of your life outside of form can be beneficial. My formended up sponsoring me on a half marathon that I ran.

My form enjoyed hearing stories about what I had been doing at the weekend and

during holidays. It is worth reiterating that all information given must be treated

as public information, must always uphold professional standards and it is up to

the individual tutor what he or she feels comfortable talking about.

15.Form jokes.

As the form progresses, running jokes will occur! I always encouraged these and

went out of my way to create them. Over the years we developed catchphrases,

characters, mascots, and puns. These were often placed on the form wall and

helped to encourage the community feel of the classroom. Silly quotes that we

used and long standing jokes are some of the things the pupils remember most

about their time at school — In fact my bad sense of humour was highlighted by

most pupils in their good bye letters!!



16. Time.

Being a good tutor does take a lot of time. The amount of time a tutor puts in will

reflect what he/she takes from the role. There were numerous occasions when my

free periods were taken up by dealing with a pupil (s) in my form on a wide range

of issues as raised in this essay. These issues would take up break and lunch

times and time after school. Creating quizzes and revision guides for example

takes time and buying food and drink and giving prizes cost money. The reward

of seeing your pupils leave school knowing you have made a difference, no matter

how big or small make it worth every minute.

17. Pupils‟ comments.

We, as tutors should never act in order to get thanks, but the following comments

from my pupils make me very proud and show the influence a form tutor can

have on a wide range of aspects of a student‟s life.

You have helped me through so much. Always giving me advice

about things. It‟s helped me to know I‟ve always got you there to

when I‟m down.

I don‟t know how I would have got through school without you.

Although you never actually taught me a lesson I have learnt so

much from you.

You have always encouraged me to do my best and played a big part

in my life.

Thank you. You have gone out of your way many times to help us

get through school.

Our form is really good and I‟m going to miss the way we are all

friends with everyone.



In year 7 I was a pretty shy girl. Hot Topics really made me come

out of my shell…and now I feel confident about going to college.

Thanks for all the time and effort that goes into form.

You‟re always making the form laugh with your pathetic gags and

impressions of Liam Gallagher, Alan Partridge, Russell Brand and

Imogen!

You‟ve always been there and for that I‟m grateful. You‟ve seen me

cry, smile and laugh.

You will always be remembered and never forgotten.

I don‟t think any other tutor would have given me as much support.

Keep practicing them jokes!

I want to thank you for always being there and helping me with

everything.

I know I used to get the hump quite regularly but now I realise you

were oding the right thing even though I couldn‟t see it at the time.

I hate to admit it but you have made me laugh a lot, cheered me up

when I was upset and given me some good advice.

When I was having problems at home and at school you really

boosted my confidence.

You‟re always positive.

I have always enjoyed form time and PSE. They have been fun yet

serious and helpful.

You have always helped me and been there for me.

Thanks for visiting me on work experience, despite locking yourself



out of your car. I‟ll never forget that.

Continue to inspire others.

I have always looked up to you.

I would like to thank you. When I was upset or feeling down you

would have the heart to use your time to talk to me.

Thanks for making us laugh, giving us sweets and sorting out our

problems.

You‟ll remember me because I‟m the one with a book that‟s about 1,400 days overdue!

I‟m now finding myself watching Alan Partridge and listening to

Oasis! What have you done?!

Even if I haven‟t been in the best of moods you‟ve always cheered

me up.

I have had loads of fun during Hot Topics and PSE lessons.

I clearly remember my first day of year 7….I was so scared because

I‟d never had a male teacher before. I was so lucky that you were

my form tutor because we‟ve had so much fun and got so many

memories.

You were always there when we needed you the most, giving

positive advice and helping us make the best out of every situation.

Thanks for everything you have done. I might not show it but I

really appreciate it.

I‟ve loved having you as a form tutor and you‟ve made my time at

school really enjoyable.

We have had some proper good memories that will always stay with



me.

18. Parent‟s comments.

The following set of statements came from the parents of pupils in my form and

help support the idea that a pupil-parent-tutor working team is a strong unit.

We can never thank you enough as I‟m sure # could have been a disaster

story but thanks to your caring she has not done badly at all.

Thanks for putting up with him. You deserve a medal!

You have made a huge contribution to him being happy at school.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement you have shown him.

Thank you for all the time and effort that you have given # over the years.

This has made # a better person and I am sure #will benefit from your guidance.

“You have been a tutor, friend, inspiration, a teacher and at times almost a

parent”.

You have been a great help to # and myself by obtaining information and

keeping me informed on #‟s welfare.

You have encouraged pupils to recognize their skills and been enthusiastic

about their education.

the role of a form tutor

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