Pastoral Manager Training - Just4SBMs

PA S T O R A L M A N A G E R S

Thinking outside the box -

Pastoral Manager Training

Education consultant Alan Cowley explains the importance of pastoral managers, and the creation of a programme directly aimed at providing training and guidance to these important staff members

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ne of the traditional features that distinguishes the British style of education from those of other leading countries, is the value that we have placed on Pastoral Care in education since it was first conceived by Dr Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, nearly 200 years ago.

Arnold saw the focus of education as being ‘First religious and moral principle, second gentlemanly conduct, third academic ability,’ and in doing so enshrined within our education system the notion of the importance of developing the individual. Something that today we might label, ‘Personalised Learning’.

Throughout the scope of my 40 year secondary education career I have seen an ebb and flow in the emphasis that we have placed on pastoral care. Over the years there have been numerous influences in schools that have impacted upon

Employing someone with no teaching commitment... makes perfect logistical and financial sense our approach to pastoral care but the latest trend, prompted in the main by the financial motive of removing pastoral responsibilities from the relatively expensive teachers – freeing up their time to teach, and replacing them with non-teaching pastoral managers, makes a great deal of sense. As a former Head of Year, I’ve lost count of the number of teaching hours that my classes endured

when my lessons were disrupted by a situation that demanded my attention. Young people just couldn’t be expected to postpone their problems until there was a convenient space in my timetable.

Employing someone with no teaching commitment and therefore available on call at all times, makes perfect logistical and financial sense. But one of the downsides has been that the distancing of teachers from the pastoral aspect of their role has served to create a situation in which some see their role as predominantly subject specialists, denying themselves and their students the benefits that are derived when teachers and students are able to form a relationship that is not hampered by the pressures of the need for direct academic progress.

There can be no doubt that in a practical sense, bringing non-teachers into daily contact with students within the school environment is a healthy development. The role of Pastoral managers continues to grow and, given the success that non-teachers have already experienced, I’m sure that school leaders will give serious consideration to expanding their responsibilities as a way of off setting budget cuts without having a detrimental impact on teaching. Let’s face it, the average secondary school could shave £100,000 per year off their wage bill by removing teachers from pastoral leadership roles.

In essence I have no objection to this. I can see no reason why a well-trained lay person couldn’t perform a Year Leader’s role as well as any teacher. We quite often hear the argument that it needs a teacher in the role as it is about ‘leading learning’. Once again, it could be argued that this statement is outdated and

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more than a little demeaning to potential candidates. Most schools make learning the responsibility of the subject teacher and have mechanisms in place through which progress

In most schools we recruit pastoral managers and set them to work without providing meaningful training is regularly monitored. If there is a conversation to be had with a student or the student’s parents, this should lie within the domain of the subject teacher who has specific knowledge about the individual student’s performance within that subject. The job of tracking progress across subjects could now safely be carried out by pastoral managers. My only concern is that in most schools we recruit pastoral managers and set them to work without providing meaningful training.

Does it make sense to relinquish such an important role to someone who could be seen as a gifted amateur? Is it fair to expect a lay person to fit seamlessly into the school environment and understand all of our idiosyncratic foibles, without providing training?

How much more effective could pastoral managers be if they were given access to a training course that provided a thorough preparation for their role?

Over the past year this is something that I’ve been giving detailed thought and activity to, talking to successful Year Leaders and pastoral managers to isolate

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How much more effective could pastoral managers be if they were given access to a training course that provided a thorough preparation for their role? those generic skills and areas of knowledge that all pastoral managers need, and assemble them in a thought-provoking course that not only provides

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a deeper understanding of the role but also provides essential information on such topics as safeguarding, attending and conducting case conferences, managing challenging behaviour, and effective communication with teachers, students and their parents, as well as a host of other important topics that give a deeper insight into the role.

Getting the input ‘menu’ and also the structure and timeframe for the course just right was quite a challenge and a great deal of thought has been spent on how best each area can be delivered most effectively. With a mind to possible school budget cuts, a balance has been found between providing opportunities to consider and discuss different philosophies and practices, to learning essential, factual information, to exploring different approaches and developing

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your own ideas, all in the most appropriate format to ensure value for money and best use of time.

The course is structured in such a way that it can be delivered in 12 units, each unit delivered on a weekly basis thereby ensuring that regardless of when an appointment is made, the course will be deliverable within the postholder’s first full term, ensuring maximum efficiency within schools. Being a mixed media course with much of the content and support delivered online, the need to travel is kept to a minimum as is the need to study within the school day reducing both disruption in school and costs.

If you would like more information about this course please contact Kate Greening on 0117 9838800 (kate.greening@tribalgroup.com).