Pastoral Care
Here at Adcote School our pastoral care and support are excellent. We pride ourselves on being one large family and there is always someone to talk to. On arrival at the school, all girls in Year 9 and above are assigned a personal tutor. In the Prep school the form coordinator fulfils this role. This person will be the primary contact for the girls and their parents. Formal meetings are held every term between girls and their tutor, to discuss progress in both academic and pastoral matters. Boarders can also turn to any member of the House staff team to help with any problems.
Each area of the school has a Head of Section (Prep, Senior and Sixth Form). We also have a Head of Student Services and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, for specific learning support and a counsellor comes to school each week if the girls wish to speak to someone from outside of school. Our Prefect team also run the ‘Student Voice.’ This is a forum where girls can seek help from a ‘big sister’ – often a vital link in any pastoral system.
Student Wellbeing
We have a whole school approach to supporting our students’ mental health through our CLEAR Learning Programme. Resilience is particularly important. We teach our students to cope with change, adversity and overcoming barriers and enable them to feel more confident.
We offer programmes in mindfulness and wellbeing, which can reduce stress and anxiety, as well as focusing on positive thinking techniques. This also leads to a more positive outlook and benefits academic work. We have a full time medical officer who helps with all health issues, including signposting to external support organisations (E.g BEAM) when further support is needed.
Learning Support
Our teachers support and guide students in their academic journey by delivering top quality teaching. We are also equipped to give additional help and support when required. Short courses are offered as boosters to students, which sit alongside normal lessons. This additional support, as well as small class sizes, ensures that all students get the tailored education that they need to succeed.
Student support is assessed on an individual basis and reviewed accordingly. If your child has an existing Special Educational Need (SEN), we would like to discuss this prior to admission. We can plan what level of support is put into place to care for your child. We have dyslexia specialists and a team of Learning Support Assistants who offer provision in small groups and on a 1:1 basis. Our Special Education Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO) is Helen Reidy and our Head of Student Services is Jackie Greenwood.
If your child has an Educational Healthcare plan (EHCP), please mention this during the admission process, as it is vital that provision is planned carefully in advance of registration.
Gifted & Talented
Adcote School recognises the importance of providing opportunities for pupils with gifts and talents in all aspects of School life.
We believe that gifted and able pupils are those who demonstrate an ability to achieve levels of performance which are significantly higher than average for their year group in one or more areas of learning:
- Physical talent
- Artistic talent
- Mechanical ingenuity
- Leadership
- High intelligence
- Creativity
Being an inclusive school, we have the widest possible view of ability and believe that many pupils have particular skills outside the usual definitions of ability. We therefore also encourage and reward those pupils who, for example, are good at helping others, noticing when other children are upset and supporting them and so on.
Throughout the School a wide range of teaching methods and strategies are used to ensure that all pupils achieve well in relation to their capability through skilfully differentiated lessons. We are committed to matching what is taught and how it is taught to the pupils’ abilities and aptitudes.
Gifted and talented pupils need support and encouragement to make progress at their pace.
