Pastoral

‘Caring for and about one another is key; there are high expectations of our pupils to take personal responsibility for their behaviour within a strong framework of moral values and social responsibility.’

Mrs Rosemary Burton, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Pastoral Care

Pastoral care is one of Gateways School's acknowledged strengths. All staff work hard to create an environment whereby each individual can mature emotionally, socially and spiritually. The size of Gateways lends itself to this process. Gateways is a small community where every member is considered and respected.

The pastoral system at Gateways School is based on open channels of communication. The Pastoral Handbook states the structures in place within school for addressing the pastoral needs of the pupils, outlines the lines of communication available to staff, parents and pupils and details our systems of reward and sanction.

Lower School
The first year of the High School, Year 7, is known at Gateways as Upper III. When they join the High School the girls are divided alphabetically into three forms. This ensures a mix of pupils who are new to the school and those who were in the Gateways Preparatory School. Girls get to know their form tutors well during form time and also PSHE lessons. The form tutor is always the first point of contact for a pupil and for her parents.

To help girls settle into life at Gateways they are invited to a New Girls’ Afternoon during the Summer before they join Upper III. They spend some of the first few mornings of the Autumn Term with their form tutor and then early in the term all are encouraged to join in the residential weekend visit to Bewerley Park, an outdoor pursuits centre in North Yorkshire, specialising in team-building and challenging activities.

Middle School
The second and third years of High School, Lower IV (Year 8) and Upper IV (Year 9), are known at Gateways as Middle School. This is an exciting and vital part of High School life because the girls’ natural curiosity and increasing confidence enables them to test their abilities, discover their skills and develop their knowledge to push towards their potential. This is not, of course, all achieved with ease and the girls have to discover their own strategies to cope with the many and varied obstacles that life gives them.

Research confirms what our instincts have always told us, that the younger teenage years can be difficult times. The pastoral team are alert to problems that may arise and provide understanding, guidance and help. We encourage the girls to try new experiences and recognise and use their own talents and skills. Lower IV benefit from the learning and social bonding that takes place during a residential visit to Edinburgh. In Upper IV the girls are challenged during a residential with Outward Bound.

Upper School
The GCSE years, Lower V (Year 10) and Upper V (Year 11) make up Upper School.
Students are working towards their first major public examinations with the added demands of coursework in some subjects. The form tutor stays with the group for the two years, to ensure continuity and the best possible support.

When pupils join Upper School, they are given an updated handbook which provides guidance on study skills and making the most of the opportunities on offer. The PSHE course is also enhanced with separate careers, health, citizenship and ICT lessons as well as Religious Studies lessons.

We aim to offer all members of Lower V a residential opportunity by taking the whole year group to London for last three days of the Easter term. This wide-ranging cultural visit explores aspects of citizenship, drama, history, science plus theatre and sightseeing and acts as a team-building opportunity for the year group.

Upper V enjoy the social atmosphere of their Common Room and have a voice through the Common Room Committee. The girls rise to the challenge of increasing responsibilities by performing duties with Upper III and the Preparatory School. Similarly participation in Duke of Edinburgh bronze in Lower V is encouraged as a means to challenge the girls. This can be furthered with the Duke of Edinburgh silver in Upper V and continue with gold in the Sixth Form.

Learning Support

Careers Programme