VR2 A Guide to Pastoral Support

VIRTUAL

A Guide to Pastoral Support

We pride ourselves on pastoral care at Radley and that will be no different in the virtual school.

We see supporting the boys through this unusual time as one of the key components of our provision: supporting, encouraging, guiding, listening, advising . . . all in partnership with parents.

The Form Master will lead on pastoral support to give the close personal attention that will be needed to guide boys through life in the Virtual School. The FM will be in regular contact throughout the week to support boys on a day to day basis. The FM will: •

Check in at the end of the day (5:20pm; 1240pm on Saturday) to hear how the day has gone, answer any questions that have arisen and plan for the following day; they will also have one longer session on a Friday as normal.

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Remind boys of what is happening and what their responsibilities are.

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Encourage and monitor participation in activity sessions through the week and review that with each boy

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Encourage members of the form to be ambitious in all areas of their academic and co-curricular activities.

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Encourage boys to feed-back on their volunteering

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Monitor academic progress through the three weekly internal report.

The Form Masters will be working closely with Tutors to provide a detailed picture of how each boy in their group is faring. The Form Master will alert the Tutor to any concerns allowing for a timely intervention before problems have time to develop.

Your son’s Tutor will continue to have oversight of all aspects of their boys’ lives in the virtual school and will be the primary point of contact for parents in all matters relating to their sons’ engagement. Tutors will aim to have a one to one conversation with each of their boys in the course of the week, as an individual check up on how things are going. In addition to the individual conversations, Tutors will host meetings in small groups in a manner akin to a Cocoa style chat. This will be a chance for the Tutors to monitor the level of group interaction and to address any collective concerns.

Parents are encouraged to keep Tutors up to date on how things are going at home. A short weekly email, even just to say ‘all fine here’, would be very welcome.

Your son’s Pastoral House Mistress will be available at a number of points through the day and boys will be encouraged to check in with their PHM on a regular basis. The PHMs will be on duty throughout the day and can be contacted via Teams or email. A good time to check in with the PHM will be before lessons in the morning (8:00 – 8:30), at short break, after lunch and in the later part of Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. I do hope that boys will keep in close contact. Speaking to the PHMs over the past two weeks, it is very clear to me that they are already missing their boys and they are very much looking forward to reconnecting on the 14th April.

Our Mentoring system for the Shell boys will continue as usual, with Mentor meetings being conducted through Teams. Next term, the Mentoring system will be overseen by Anneliese Little and boys will be hearing from her at the start of term. The Mentors will have an important role to play in helping to build a picture of how the Shells are getting on in the

virtual school as well as helping to maintain an important relationship between junior and senior boys. Boys in the Lower Sixth year will soon be taking on greater responsibility in Socials as they become next years’ leaders. Doing what we can to maintain a strong relationship between the year groups has never been so important as it is now that we are so far apart.

Many of the boys value the opportunity to talk through difficulties and concerns with the Chaplains and their support will be hugely important in the term ahead. The Chaplains can be contacted via email and boys are encouraged to send them an email message to arrange a convenient time for a chat. The Chaplains can be contacted via email: dw.wilson@radley.org.uk (Rev. Wilson). PJT.Taylor@radley.org.uk (Rev. Taylor) I am hopeful that the boys will maintain a sense of connection with the Chaplaincy and the Chapel through the evensong services that will be available each evening and I would encourage parents, to encourage their sons, to join us at 5:45pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. This will be an important opportunity, at the end of each day, for some much needed peace and reflection.

Alex Gilley will be available in the Medical Centre to advise on any health concerns you may have in the coming term. These may or may not be Covid related and boys are reminded that seeking advice early, on any health concern, is usually the sensible thing to do. This is particularly true with mental health concerns and Alex will be pleased to advise and make referrals as is necessary. Alex will be working from home and can be contacted via email at medical.centre@radley.org.uk; she can email back or speak with you if you need it. In case of emergencies, the Medical Centre Emergency mobile number can be used: 07751 489423. You are also able to get in touch with Long Furlong Medical Centre, where all Pupils are registered with a GP, to request a telephone consultation or to get a prescription. Their contact details are either 01235 522379 or https://www.longfurlongmedicalcentre.co.uk/ The College counsellor, Nick Langdon, will continue to be available to the boys he was seeing last term and others can arrange to see Nick in the usual way, either by emailing the Medical Centre and asking for an appointment, or by emailing Nick directly through his college email address. Nick joined us back in January as a locum and we were delighted to appoint him on a permanent basis in February. Nick has over thirty years’ experience working in mental health support and is familiar with online counselling. Nick’s email address is: nml.langdon@radley.org.uk We should not forget the importance of friendships and the role they play in supporting us all through difficult times. The Pups were quick to recognise this when we met with them earlier in the week (a Virtual Pups Meeting hosted by the Warden on Zoom). They felt that the boys will miss the close friendships and camaraderie of college life acutely in the weeks to come and we must do all we can to encourage them to keep their Social groups together. The Pups will be encouraging their Socials to ensure that all are included in their ‘Chats’ and in their online interaction.

Pastoral support is a responsibility that we all share at Radley and every member of the community has a part to play on a daily basis. For my part, I will continue to be available for any boy who has a question, concern or idea that he wants to share. The boys would expect me to be in my study from 8:00 – 8:30 in the morning and I will continue to be available at those

times for a call through Teams. I am, of course, very happy to have conversations at other times of the day.

One of the great things about our evening Chapel service is that it provides us with the opportunity to see every boy as the school files out of Chapel and away along Covered Passage.

It is a time of the day that every boy has access to the Warden, the Chaplain and to myself, and the opportunity for a quick chat. We will endeavour to be online and available for such conversations, through Teams, immediately after the Chapel service each day.

I am sure that, together, we will learn a great deal over the course of the Summer Term and I am sure that many of these lessons will bring about a stronger and more capable Radley in the years to come.

Ben Holden Sub Warden