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Pastoral Care and Academic Progress – The Head of Middle School Perspective I look forward to welcoming you to the Middle School at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School. I am Head of Middle School, working in tandem with a strong team of Form Tutors; together we take an integrated approach to pastoral and academic care, through which we provide scaffolded support so that we can create an overview of your academic and personal development. We want to empower you to mature and grow in independence while also ensuring that we offer a healthy framework to support you during your GCSEs. Your Form Tutor is the linchpin and should be the first point of contact for you and / or your parents in the event of enquiries or issues arising. I oversee the Form Tutor team and I am, in turn, responsible to Mr Williams, Deputy Headmaster (Pastoral) and Mr Wickes (Headmaster). Self-motivation and resilience are important aspects of learning at GCSE level. At the start of Year 10, an afternoon session with a prominent revision and study skills specialist organisation will begin to emphasise the importance of independent learning in the quest for excellence at GCSE. We understand the benefits of self-motivation and so you will be asked to undertake further reflection about your expectations and ways in which you can set some realistic goals. Setting the goals is the easy part; putting a system in place to support you in those is where our experienced tutor team steps in. Form Tutors will closely monitor achievement and effort and offer strategies to support you in getting the most out of the education you are offered at Merchant Taylors’. You will be able to discuss our expectations of you and your reflection, with me and with senior academic staff. We will guide you in terms of study skills and support you to ensure that you put in maximum effort. You are welcome to attend all clinics and work sessions and are reminded that the Library is also open until 5.30pm every evening; this is a quiet space, conducive to work and staffed at all times. Linear examinations have now replaced the modular courses, and this has an impact on the way you
