Student wellbeing remains the key element in the development of successful students, and the most effective way for this to happen, is to ensure that it is embedded in school culture, because as we know—learners thrive in a connected community.
In developing systems to support student wellbeing, schools need to reflect on staff wellbeing and then the whole student, which requires a consideration of:
- Personal growth
- Aspirations
- Challenges
- Overall Emotional Development
- Academic Skills across all Areas of the Curriculum
An effective school pastoral care program fosters student development in all areas of student wellbeing.
What is Pastoral Care in Schools?
Pastoral care in schools involves the development of the whole student. This involves supporting each student in their entire school life experience whilst engaging families in the process:
- Academically
- Physically
- Socially
- Emotionally
- Cognitively
To do this, it is essential for schools to take a proactive approach to student wellbeing, carefully planning for the support and success of each and every student.
- A considered approach to student growth and wellbeing provides students with a greater chance at success in all school experiences.
- A community approach to pastoral care aids students in achieving success, with each student knowing that there are multiple support networks available, depending on their needs at a specific time.
- Parental involvement provides students with visibility of both their teachers and parents fostering a positive, healthy relationship, with the students’ outcome and wellbeing at the core.
- Personalisation of learning tasks
- Activities that are of interest to the students
- Offering them opportunities to take ownership of their learning
- Providing contextualisation of what they are doing, so they can see how it will impact on their future
The Importance of Pastoral Care to a Student’s Wellbeing
A well developed program for pastoral care ensures that students are supported to be the best version of themselves.
This requires consideration of each aspect of the student. Whilst their academic performance is important, the overall support of student wellbeing is more so; therefore, a school’s pastoral care program needs to be designed to show the community how and why student wellbeing should be nurtured and developed.
A key aspect of this is the emotional development of a student. Students thrive on a sense of belonging and an awareness that people in their lives are concerned about their aspirations and growth.
Schools need to provide students with challenges, to develop resilience in the face of adversity, whilst scaffolding them in such a way that they are supported and encouraged along the journey.
A Successful Pastoral Care Program
Crucial to the success of any pastoral care program is that simply having one is not enough.
Regular reviews provide schools with an opportunity to establish if the program is effectively meeting the needs of the students and that the appropriate people are responsible for the success of your pastoral care program.
Reviewing your program will ensure that your community is aware of how important pastoral care is to student wellbeing. It will show your families that you value student wellbeing enough to ensure that the appropriate resources are provided to ensure success. Communicating this process to your school community will also enhance the school culture surrounding pastoral care.
Key Features: Student Wellbeing in Schoolbox
Here at Schoolbox, we believe strongly in the notion that learners thrive in a connected community and at the heart of any connection is a focus on student wellbeing.
We have carefully developed our pastoral care module to ensure that you can support your staff and student wellbeing, and that it continues to evolve to suit the requirements of our community.
Here are some of our key tools that support student wellbeing:
1
Pastoral Care Module
A dedicated Pastoral Care Module allowing you to track student academic and wellbeing needs, learning adjustments and behavioural incidents.
2
Custom Terminology
Control over terminology used for record types so schools can contextualise their pastoral care approach in Schoolbox. Anything from Individual Learning Plans to NCCD categories (Australia) of disability and adjustments can be recorded in one location.
3
Individual Learning Plans
Ability to customise learning plans so each and every activity you create in Schoolbox can be adjusted to suit each and every student.
4
Assessment Differentiation
Flexibility to determine if a particular assessment is suited to students or if they require an extension—our teachers have the ability to make this happen in just a couple of clicks. Teachers are then able to ensure that students are challenged and supported in their academic development, and provide quality learning and teaching.
5
The Whole Student
Holistic view of each and every student with the student profile page. This page provides teachers access to parent information, what academic and extracurricular endeavours a student is involved in, whilst parents can view their child’s calendar and timetable, upcoming due work, as well as their current academic achievement levels, and in some cases, their academic reports.
Ask Us!
Here at Schoolbox, we place a high value on our ability to provide schools with great tools to support student wellbeing. Utilising the feedback and support of our schools, we are committed to improving features and continue to strive to provide effective ways to ensure the whole student is supported and developed. We have a dedicated Customer Success Team on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Contact us today for a free demo and a complimentary evaluation of your current Pastoral Care System needs.
