Pastoral highlights from 2023/24: thank you for making it so special
Pastoral highlights from 2023/24: thank you for making it so special
As the academic year draws to a close, we want to say massive ‘well done’ and ‘thank you’.
Well done for doing such a great job in another tricky year. Thank you for doing everything you can for your students. And each other inside the We Are In Beta Community.
In this post we want to celebrate:
some of our collective achievements
the acts of kindness you show each other
examples where members (and specific schools) have gone above and beyond for each other
I hope the post conveys how much we appreciate you and that the links inside offer you value whatever role or responsibility.
Have a lovely summer!
See you in September.
(PS. If your focus is more on curriculum, we’ve rounded up and provided links to the most insightful conversations, most popular resources and thanked the most supportive members in our curriculum highlights here.)
We - schools - Are In Beta - always learning (when we recognise what we can do together and have a summer holiday)
What you’ve helped us achieve inside the community
What you’ve helped us achieve…
…inside the We Are In Beta Community
👥 18,809 community members
🏫 1,984 secondary schools we are connected to
💼 66,771 times the 274 vacancies we promoted have been in our newsletters
…inside the Pastoral Champions Community
📎 246 pastoral resources shared by members (here)
📺 51 session recordings (here)
📝 524 pastoral whole school policies pooled and analysed (here)
What are the highlights from the Pastoral Champions Community in 2023-24?
(And how have your actions helped your fellow members?)
There are so many ways you help each other out inside the Pastoral Champions Community.
Here are four alongside some examples where you have gone above and beyond.
1. Asking (and answering) questions - openly (and supportively)
Asking questions can be intimating and make you feel vulnerable.
Answering them takes time, consideration and effort.
That’s why we are hugely grateful for every question you ask and every answer you give each other.
Here are some examples of the most helpful questions and answers from 2023-2024:
✅ Attendance - mental health
“Looking for some ideas (not specifically curriculum) on what schools do pastorally to support students with really poor attendance in conjunction with mental health concerns who are refusing to access much of the help put in place”
🛡️ Safeguarding - KCSIE - lettings
“Am thinking about our lettings policy and safeguarding. Whilst the policy is cross referenced to KCSIE I am wondering if our process around lettings and safeguarding could be strengthened. Anyone open to discussion and sharing around this?”
🚽 Behaviour - toilets
“We have noted that we have a significant number of students wanting to go to the toilet during lessons - this is clearly something we want to minimise but parents tend to be unsupportive and quote human rights! I would be interested in any schools that have successfully minimised this without locking toilets through lesson time”
🏆 Rewards
“We are looking at introducing a 'Student Colours' system to recognise the achievements of students - similar to University Sports colours. Does anybody have anything similar please?”
🥇 Special member mentions
There so many of you who help each other. But there a number of you go above and beyond.
Special mention should to the following for engaging in the most conversations (20 between them).
Jenny Davies (Deputy Headteacher, Broadwater). Work with her here.
Fiona Eddie (Deputy Headteacher, Thurstable). Work with her here.
Adam Fortune (Head of Year, Arrow Vale High School). Work with him here.
Chris Harvey (Headteacher, Kings Academy Ringmer). Work with him here.
Thank you again to you all.
There are also many more we’d like to thank. We’ve named and thanked you here.
2. Sharing resources - generously
Resources are one of the most generous things you share with each other.
You share them in lots of different ways, which we appreciate immensely.
Here some examples:
📎 In conversation threads by attaching them using the ‘Add File’ in the comments:
☑️“I'm just taking over leadership of behaviour and culture in our school and I'd like to spend some time reviewing what we currently do. Does anyone have an effective behaviour system audit tool that they've found helpful?
Download Audit Tool here attached by Fiona Eddie (Bridgemary)
Download Behaviour Curriculum here shared Tom Bellwood (Chiltern Learning Trust)
Thank you to both of you.
There are too many to name here, so we’ve named and thanked you all here.
🎥 Alongside your Pastoral Champions Master Classes
Across the Pastoral Champions Community members shared 240 resources
At his “What We Dos”: Systems to ensure 100% disruption free schools” session Nat Nabarro, Blaise High School, shared a eye watering collection of 13 standard operating procedures - one for each key moment in the school day.
Thank you Nat and every one of our Master Class guests.
There are too many to name here. So we’ve named and thanked them all here.
📺 Alongside your Pastoral Champions Week 2024 sessions
Across the entire Pastoral Champions Week 2024 conference speakers shared 107 resources.
⚖️ Underneath his “Trauma Informed approaches” session, Paul Mulvihill, AVP, Westminster Academy, posted a whopping 12 resources.
Thank you to all the speakers, especially Paul.
3. Presenting a Master Class and speaking at Pastoral Champions Week 2024 - bravely
Putting your work out there at a conference for all to see is not easy. But when you do, magic happens.
You have a chance to step back and reflect on your work.
Others get to learn from someone who’s been there and done that.
Conversations begin and supportive relationships form.
Here’s are 5 that got people watching, talking and learning the most*:
(*based on views, RSVPs and comments)
🚀 “Proactive Pastoral Leadership: ensuring excellent outcomes for all” - Hannah Bristow, Fulham Cross Girls' School.
❤️ “What does it mean to be a student in this school?” - Andy Lewis, St Bonaventure's.
✅ “Attendance - here to there!” - Sam Dodge, Harris Academy Ockendon.
🦠 “Improving persistent absence in a post covid world: making sure everyone knows what, why, when and how” Naomi Hosker, Harris Academy Battersea.
📞 “Getting them in: improving attendance one spreadsheet and phone call at a time” Charlotte Whelan, Georgia France and Amy Brown, Community Schools Trust.
Again, there are too many Master Class guests and PCW24 speakers to name here.
So we’ve named and thanked them all here.
Why are we highlighting these examples of pastoral community spirit?
We exist to help you share how you get the best outcomes for your students.
We simply would not be able to pursue that mission, or make the progress we have, without your support.
Your actions lift others up.
We’d love to see even more of you help each other find solutions.
🙌 Actions you took to lift each other up - thank you
Here’s a list of things you do for each other that make a massive difference (and we hugely appreciate):
Being curious - asking questions
Being supportive - answering questions
Being engaged - showing up regularly
Being generous - sharing resources
Being brave and helpful - speaking at Pastoral Champions Week
Being reflective - presenting a master class.
Being a cheerleader - supporting other to get involved
Being welcoming - sharing new job opportunities
🙏 A huge THANK YOU for all that you do in making the community the special place it is.
Your solutions and support has empowered others to tackle challenges head-on, giving them what they need to make a tangible difference in schools across the country.
There are too many to name here.
So we’ve named and thanked 261 of you here.
Before we head off for the summer, we’ve taken a look at the schools with the largest number of their team getting involved in the community and offering help for fellow members.
We first looked at which schools had the most people being successful in any of the eight ways above. Then we wanted to see if this changed when looking at the volume of actions from these members.
Taken together, both groups of schools are those with strongest signs of a staff culture that values professional learning, mutual support and collaboration.
If you like the sound of these schools too, we’ve added links to their vacancy pages for you to have a look (and as a thank you to them for being so engaged).
Top 10 schools for the number of their team contributing to the community
The Robert Napier School - vacancies here
Challney High School for Girls - vacancies here
Thornden School - vacancies here
The Corsham School - vacancies here
Fulston Manor School - vacancies here
Copleston High School - vacancies here
City of London Academy (Southwark) - vacancies here
The Dorcan Academy - vacancies here
St Sampson's High - vacancies here
St Bonaventure's RC School - vacancies here
Top 10 schools for depth and breadth of their team’s contributions
Challney High School for Girls - vacancies here
The Dorcan Academy - vacancies here
Harris Church of England Academy - vacancies her
Fulston Manor School - vacancies here
The Robert Napier School - vacancies here
The Corsham School - vacancies here
Copleston High School - vacancies here
Thornden School - vacancies here
St Bonaventure's RC School - vacancies here
Little Lever School - vacancies here
Thanks for reading.
@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team
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