PASTORAL CARE AT HAMPSTEAD PAROCHIAL COFE SCHOOL
At Hampstead Parochial CofE School, pastoral support is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that nurturing the emotional, social, and mental well-being of our children is essential for their development and success. Our vision, ‘Educating to live life in all its fullness,’ underpins our commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where every child is valued and empowered to thrive.
Our pastoral care is deeply rooted in our Core Christian Values: Koinonia, Friendship, Respect, Forgiveness, Kindness, and Compassion. These values guide our approach to supporting children, ensuring they feel a sense of belonging, build strong and positive relationships, develop self-awareness, and grow in resilience. By working in partnership with parents, staff, and specialist support services, we aim to equip our children with the emotional and social skills they need to navigate the challenges of life with confidence and kindness.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SPECIALIST SUPPORT SERVICES TO PASTORAL CARE
At Hampstead Parochial CofE School, we believe that providing high-quality pastoral care is essential to the well-being and development of every child. Sometimes, specialist services can help us to better understand a child’s needs and provide tailored support to ensure their emotional, social, and mental well-being.
HPS is committed to working with a range of specialist support services to enhance pastoral care. If a child requires additional support from external professionals, we will involve parents at every stage. Parents/carers will need to sign a referral form before any assessment or support can take place. Referrals may be made by the Pastoral Lead, the SENDCo, or in some instances by parents through their GP. CAMHS also operates a self-referral service.
The services currently working in school or supporting children and families at Hampstead Parochial CofE School include Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, Camden Mental Health Support Team (MHST), and CAMHS. These agencies provide advice and guidance to staff and parents, as well as assessments and interventions for pupils where needed.
Please note: Each service has its own referral and eligibility criteria, meaning support is targeted to children with specific needs. The level and type of support available varies based on individual cases and the resources of each service.
SUPPORT FOR THE EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN
The school prioritises the personal development and well-being of all children. We recognise that some children may face challenges in forming and maintaining friendships, managing emotions, or navigating social situations. To support their development, we offer a range of pastoral initiatives, including our comprehensive PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education) curriculum, the Feel It programme, and Religious Education. Our school community values and celebrates the strengths and talents of every child, ensuring they have opportunities to participate in school life, such as joining the school council, clubs, and sports teams.
We promote positive behaviour as part of our school ethos. More details about our whole-school approach can be found in our Behaviour Policy.
HPS works closely with Camden Mental Health Support Team (MHST), which provides in-school support and guidance for parents/carers on emotional well-being and mental health. Our link practitioner helps determine appropriate mental health provision for individuals, groups, and whole classes. This year, we are running transition support groups for Year 6 and the Compassionate Minds intervention to support emotional well-being in Key Stage 2.
To further enhance our pastoral care, we work with a Pastoral Support teacher who provides small group and one-to-one support on emotional well-being and social skills. Additionally, a play therapist visits the school weekly to offer long-term therapeutic support for individual children. One of our support staff members is a trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), providing time-limited interventions to help children develop emotional literacy, self-awareness, and resilience.
TRAINING FOR STAFF AND ACCESS TO SPECIALIST EXPERTISE
All staff, including Teaching Assistants, receive regular training to support the pastoral needs of our pupils. The School Improvement Plan informs training priorities, and staff access professional development through Camden Learning Development Centre and The LDBS Grow Packages. This year, training has included resilience-building strategies, mental health awareness, and communication techniques to support children with emotional needs.
Staff meetings include termly pastoral care discussions, and relevant briefings are shared with the whole team as needed. Our SENDCo and Pastoral Lead attend Camden Cluster Forums and relevant training, ensuring our provision remains up to date and effective.
We value collaboration with other schools and share best practices with our partnership schools, Holy Trinity School and Emmanuel School. This allows us to engage in joint training and gain insights into effective pastoral strategies.
SUPPORTING TRANSITIONS INTO AND THROUGH SCHOOL
HPS carefully plans transitions to ensure children feel safe and secure when joining our school or moving between year groups. Before children start Reception, home visits help us understand any pastoral needs, allowing us to provide appropriate support from the beginning. We request information from previous settings and attend transition meetings where necessary. A ‘Welcome to Reception’ video is also provided to help children familiarise themselves with the school environment.
Internal transitions are managed thoughtfully, with handover meetings between staff to ensure continuity of care. For children who require additional support, we create transition books and organise visits to their new classroom to help them adjust.
For children transitioning to secondary school, we provide support through our pastoral team, particularly for those who may find change difficult. Where necessary, the Pastoral Lead or SENDCo liaises with secondary schools to ensure continuity of support. We also facilitate visits to new schools and offer targeted transition support to help children build confidence and resilience for the next stage of their education.
INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL LIFE
As an inclusive school, we ensure that all children can participate fully in school activities, trips, and events. We make reasonable adjustments to accommodate children’s individual needs and work closely with parents and external professionals to facilitate this.
RECORD KEEPING AND TRANSFER OF INFORMATION
Pastoral records, such as well-being plans, assessments, and referral documents, are securely stored and treated with confidentiality. When a child moves to another school, we transfer relevant records to ensure their needs continue to be met. If transitions are planned in advance, we share key information with the receiving school as early as possible to facilitate a smooth transition.
At Hampstead Parochial CofE School, our commitment to pastoral care is at the heart of everything we do. By working together with parents, staff, and specialist services, we aim to create a nurturing environment where every child feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
