Introducing Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care and Discipline

Deputy Principal

of Pastoral Care and Discipline

I believe that my role is to ensure the physical and emotional welfare of students, so that every student at this school feels safe, happy, involved and able to perform to their potential.

This means that the systems at our school need to reflect our school values and vision, and be responsive to needs of complexity. Regular review, which uses both qualitative and quantitative data, informs our practices.

The role of DP for Pastoral Care and Discipline may sound contradictory, but the two areas are strongly interlinked. Often a discipline issue presents but something pastoral sits behind this. At Otumoetai College we provide a horizontal pastoral structure where students remain with their Form Teacher, Deans and Deputy Principal for their time at school. This helps establish and nurture positive relationships. A core group of adults really get to know a cohort. In response to our last wellbeing survey, in which students indicated little connection between year levels, we have strengthened the peer mentoring system by using a programme called STARS. This fosters a year long connection between Year 9 students and their senior mentors. As well as a vertical whare / house system has been trialled for the past 18 months and this will be fully adopted in 2021. The purpose being to increase students’ sense of belonging and inclusion, both of which are essential for wellbeing. They also predict engagement and motivation for learning. Each week the year level Deans, DP, a counselor, a learning support staff member and a pathways staff member meet. They review the attendance data, academic results, pastoral information and behavioural comments. This allows for a response to issues to happen sooner rather than later.

The world has changed but to be human has not. The character traits of perseverance, self control, resilience, respect, empathy and kindness are as important as ever. Our students live in a world of greater opportunities than ever before, yet they have never been so challenged in many ways. The cyber world is here, like it or not, it’s not going anywhere. It allows for the most extraordinary

Mrs Jude Brown, Deputy Principal

diversity of communication. However; it can be a minefield for the unwary. The negative side of the internet is very real: cyber bullying, online scams, sexting, excessive gaming, sexual predation and access to information that is not stage appropriate. Digital technology connects us with the rest of the world but disconnects us as well. The ability to think about how another person is feeling is removed. This is a vital tool students’ require as they navigate digital space. We staff, parents and whanau, must teach our youth about maintaining appropriate boundaries and how to integrate good values and decency into all aspects of their lives.