EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST WITH DEPUTY HEAD PASTORAL AND DSL
Miss Rachel Hart FROM ROEDEAN SCHOOL, SUSSEX In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, we spoke to Miss Rachel Hart, Deputy Head Pastoral and DSL at Roedean School, Sussex. Rachel spoke to us about the importance of pastoral care in boarding and ensuring each pupil is seen, known and heard to support them to thrive.
Rachel began her career as a PE teacher at Caterham School, where she worked for ten years. “When I was looking for my next steps, I always knew it was going to be in pastoral care.” Rachel told us: “Pretty early on in my career, I felt that’s where I could make the biggest difference.” Having been educated at an all-girls’ school herself, Rachel jumped at the chance to join Roedean in a pastoral role and return to girls’ education: “I loved school and I saw the benefits of going to an all-girls’ school and what that brought and the kind of opportunities that provided me. I really, really wanted to go back into that sector.” At Roedean, Rachel leads the pastoral team, including boarding. Of her team and work, she told us: “They’re phenomenal and people who really have the best interests of all the students at the heart of everything they do. So, it’s an honour and privilege to lead that team.” The importance of the community and students at Roedean is also clear: “What makes the job so special is the students, I can’t express that enough. We have really, really impressive students and an amazing place to work.” Roedean encourages pupils to embrace six 54 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S P R I N G 2 02 5
core values: “Be happy, be curious, be engaged, be independent, be confident and be compassionate.” Rachel describes the aim of these as to “encourage, empower and engage” students in all aspects of life: “It’s about the highest possible academic achievements for them, but it’s also about making sure that they feel safe and secure, that they’re looking after themselves, each other and contributing to their school and wider community.” Roedean School was founded in 1885 by sisters Penelope, Dorothy and Millicent Lawrence to give girls the same educational opportunities as boys. Roedean maintains this dedication and passion for educating girls and providing excellent opportunities and believes strongly in the power of all-girls’ education. Having previously worked in co-educational settings, Rachel described: “The thing I noticed from moving from co-ed to an allgirls’ setting is just how articulate and confident the students are. They don’t worry about getting things wrong because they can truly be themselves, they have no inhibitions.” Rachel believes that this setting allows pupils to be themselves and develop their confidence throughout their education. “They then leave school ready to face the world of work - or whatever they choose to do - because they haven’t had the normal gender stereotyping that does, unfortunately but naturally, take place in a co-ed setting.” Beyond academics, the all-girls environment also allows pupils to develop their
